Tom Daley

About

Tom is an English diver who specialises in the 10 metre platform event and was the 2009 FINA World Champion in the individual event at the incredibly young age of 15.

Tom Daley started diving at the age of seven and is a member of Plymouth Diving Club. He has made an impact in national and international competitions from age 9. He was spotted by a coach, taking part in regular diving lessons. His first competition was the National Novice Championships in April 2003 where he won a medal in the 8/9 year old boys’ category.

He represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics where he was Britain’s youngest competitor, the youngest competitor of any nationality outside the sport of swimming, and the youngest to participate in a final.

In the first post-Rome 2009 World Championships edition of the FINA World Diving Rankings for the ten-metre platform, Daley reached a new career best ranking of number one.

Tom was named BBC South West Sports Personality of the Year, and Young Sports Personality of the Year, in 2009.

He won two gold medals for England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in the 10 metre synchro diving (with Max Brick) and the 10 m Individual Platform competition. Also in 2010, he won LEN Magazine’s “Athlete of the Year” award for mens’ divers, 2009, on behalf of the European Swimming Federation. The award is voted for by representatives of all European Aquatic Federations and the media.

On 27 July 2011, Daley took the first dive in London’s newly-built Olympic Park Aquatics Centre marking the one year countdown until the games begin. It was broadcast live on BBC One.

aley went on to participate in the 2012 FINA Diving World Series – in the first event held in Dubai, Daley and Waterfield finished 4th in the 10m synchro event, while Daley won silver in the individual 10m event. In the event held in Beijing a week later, Daley and Waterfield won the silver medal in the 10m synchro event, while in the individual event Daley won silver and Waterfield the bronze.

Over the whole 2012 Diving World Series, Daley and the Daley/Waterman pairing won both the overall individual and synchro 10 metre competitions.

In April 2012 Daley also won, by a margin of 140 points, the British elite juniors 10 metre platform title – in the final year of his eligibility for junior competition in the championships held in the brand new Life Centre in his home town of Plymouth.

Even at his youthful age, Tom is one of the most respected figures in British diving history.