The youngest member of Team Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics, he went on to become the oldest person to ever win a medal in his competition.
He went from being a schoolboy in Beijing when he was 14 years old to competing in Paris with his children, serving as the source of motivation that fueled his longevity while he was watching from the stands.
The title of 10 m synchro platform from Tokyo 2020 could not be defended because Chinese competitors were simply too superior this time around; however, Tom Daley was quite content with silver.
This athlete has competed in the Olympics five times and now has a total of five medals.
Nevertheless, during the time leading up to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the schoolboy phenomenon shared with me that he was simply pleased to be recognized at Starbucks and to be given a complimentary chocolate Frappuccino.
It was during our initial interview that he made the following statement: “It’s really weird to think that people respect you and recognize you for what you do.”
This was something that he had to get used to as a face not of British sport but of diving globe as the sport’s most prominent star.
At this point, sixteen years later, we were having a conversation at the Team GB residence in Paris with our diving partner, Noah Williams. We had just won silver medals a few hours earlier and were reflecting on the experience.
“It’s the whole thing between going back from 2008 and not really knowing what the scale and grandeur of the Olympics were to then being able to go through it and win medals along the way,” Daley told the television network News.
This time around, however, it just seems to have a slightly different vibe. Regarding the significance of the Olympics for me, I have a different kind of perspective.
“For now, my family is the most important, and being able to compete in front of them and for them was really special.”
If your child asks you to do anything, you respond by carrying it out.
Phoenix, who was three years old at the time, was celebrating in Paris with her husband, Dustin Lance Black, along with their second son, Robbie, who was five years old and was eager to watch his father in person in an Olympic competition.
It is for this reason that Daley, after a sabbatical of two years, decided to put his body and head through yet another stressful Olympic cycle.
“When your kid asks you to do something, you do it or else—like all hell breaks loose,” Daley explained to reporters. It was just one of those things that I kind of missed doing, and diving was one of those things. I did not state that I was finished [after Tokyo], and there was a special reason for that.
When I was younger, I had the impression that there was something that I was continually trying to hold on to.
“And it is really difficult for an athlete to be able to say, ‘I’m naturally done.'”
“And Robbie’s statement when he said, ‘Oh, I want to see a dive in the Olympics’ was the perfect hook for me to be like, right, he said it, I’m off.
At the same time, I was uncertain about whether or not I would be able to rejoin the synchro team. We were uncertain as to whether or not we would be able to qualify for the Olympics.
Nevertheless, once things started moving in the right direction and we saw that we were actually doing very well, we were able to go forward. In addition, we have been successful in every competition that we have participated in this year. In light of this, we have been feeling very content.
‘There was a totally different kind of Olympics held in Tokyo.
Daley was ultimately able to win gold in the Pandemic Games, which took place in an arena that was completely empty. She was pleased to do it again at the Olympics in front of a throng.
“It feels very kind of surreal as well to be here at a fifth Olympic Games and to have been able to dive in front of a crowd again because Tokyo was a very different kind of Olympics,” Daley explained to reporters. “Therefore, the fact that I was able to have one more time out and still be able to come away with silver and continue with Noah was a very wonderful experience. That is without a doubt on a high.”
“I’ve shed a few drops of tears today.”
Williams, too, experienced a range of emotions.
During this high point of his career, the 24-year-old athlete was remembering his coach, Dave Jenkins, who had passed away unexpectedly between the Olympic Games. Jenkins had been the reason he had missed out on a medal in Tokyo.
“I’ve cried far too much today,” Williams said in an interview with a news channel. It was a wild emotional thing.
When I received letters from his wife and then from other members of his family as well, it made me feel so proud and very joyful. I didn’t think I would. “And I feel like I have finally done him proud,” she said.
“When I was younger, I had a lot of times where I wanted to give up.”
Williams would not have even been in Paris if it weren’t for the support that he received from Mr. Jenkins.
“I wanted to quit so many times when I was younger, but he stuck by me and took me from a little cocky 15-year-old to an Olympian in Tokyo,” Williams said in his interview.
He was a tremendous asset to both my professional life and my whole life. Moreover, he was the kindest guy I have ever known. “I miss him every single day.”
Williams, who was wearing the medal with great pride around his neck, claimed, “It’s definitely for Dave.”