Joe McConnell
Tom Daley retired from diving after winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
Daley and diving partner Noah Williams performed six spectacular dives in the men’s 10m synchronized platform diving final to finish second in Paris on July 29.
The 30-year-old was competing in his fifth Olympics after returning from a two-year break to diving after winning gold at the postponed 2021 Tokyo Games.
Daley and Noah Williams celebrate their silver in Paris
Daley’s husband, Dustin Lance Black, and sons, Robbie and Phoenix, were in Paris; Daley said the chance to dive in front of them at the Olympics was a factor in his decision to return.
“It’s a very, very surreal thing,” Daley said in an interview with Rowing.
“I was incredibly nervous at first, knowing it was my last Olympics. There was a lot of pressure and expectation. I was really looking forward to it… but when I walked out and saw my husband, my kids, my friends and family in the audience, I thought, you know what? This is exactly why I did it.
“I’m here and whatever happens in the competition, I’ll be happy.
“It was emotional at the end, there on the platform, knowing that this would be my last competitive dive.
“But at some point I have to make a decision, and it seems like the right time. It’s the right time to say enough.”
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Daley reveals how his son helped inspire his return to the Paris Olympics
Daley’s silver in Paris was his fifth Olympic medal and completed his streak, having won three bronze medals at his home games in London 2012, Rio 2016 and the 10m platform in Tokyo, as well as gold in the synchronised event.
She made her debut at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, at the age of 14.
Daley has nothing left to prove
Daley retires as Britain’s most decorated diver in Olympic history, having competed at five Games.
“I think it was predictable in the sense that for Tom Daley it was five Olympics and he did everything he wanted to accomplish,” he said. Vscek senior journalist Geraint Hughes.
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Daley and Williams discuss their diving partnership and the future
“He wanted to come back and win a medal for his son and that’s exactly what he did. It wasn’t gold, but it was silver.
“She won gold in Tokyo. She has nothing to prove to anyone. Five Olympics, the first one in Beijing in 2008 when she was 14 and now she’s only 30, which is young.
“I spoke to Tom shortly before his race in Paris and mentioned the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the allure of Los Angeles because he lives in America with his husband and family.
“It seemed natural to me to go to the sixth concert, but judging from the way I saw Tom get on the train this morning, let’s say, he looked tired.
“He had a poker face and didn’t let anything slip that he was making this decision. A very well-guarded PR campaign by his people to reveal it.
“He was a terrific sergeant for Team GB, and also for the diving team.”
