2024-08-13 15:15:02
Great Britain’s Tom Daley has announced his retirement from diving, bringing to an end a glittering career in which he won one Olympic gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
“There was a lot of pressure and expectations,” he told British Vogue, “I was eager for it to be done. But when I walked out, and saw my husband and kids and my friends and family in the audience, I was like, you know what? This is exactly why I did this.
“It was emotional at the end, up there on the platform, knowing it was going to be my last competitive dive. But I have to make the decision at some point, and it feels like the right time. It’s the right time to call it a day.”
Daley, who made his Olympic debut at age 14 at Beijing 2008, has become one of the most popular sportspeople in Britain and calls an end to his career having recently won silver at Paris 2024 in the synchronised 10m platform event.
“It feels very, very surreal, he said. “I felt so incredibly nervous going into this, knowing it was my last Olympics.”
Daley’s gold medal came three years ago at Tokyo 2020 when he competed alongside Matty Lee. Along with his diving skills, the 30-year-old’s pool-side knitting exploits during the last two Games have made him a viral sensation.
