The Olympian returned from retirement for the 2024 Olympic Games at the request of his son, Robbie.
British diver Tom Daley knows the trials of being an Olympian better than most, having made his first appearance as a 14-year-old in Beijing. Now balancing his sport with family life, his journey to Paris silver has been his happiest time yet.
Daley, who won gold in the men’s synchronized 10-meter platform event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, decided last year to come out of retirement at the request of his older son, Robbie.
His husband, Lance Black, a U.S. screenwriter and director, and their two boys were in the crowd at the Aquatics Centre on Monday, cheering on Daley, 30, and teammate Noah Williams for each of their six dives.
“I’m so proud to have been able to decide to come back after two years of retirement,” a beaming Daley said after Monday’s event, even keeping the door open for a further appearance at the next Games in four years' time.
“I think most of that was being able to set an example to my kids that if you have a dream and work really hard, it doesn’t mean you’re always going to achieve exactly what you want, but it’s about enjoying the process and doing what you can to show up, to be the best person you can be,” Daley said.
The pair fell short of upsetting China’s Yang Hao and Lian Junjie, who finished nearly 30 points ahead after six rounds to take gold. But that did not diminish the experience.
“For me, this year is the happiest I’ve been in diving in all of these years because diving wasn’t necessarily my top priority. Of course, it was extremely important. But nothing is more important than my children and being able to spend time with them,” Daley said.
“I adjusted my training schedule to train once per day, Monday through Friday, and then enjoy the rest of the day with my kids,” he added. “I would train from seven to ten a.m. each morning and then spend the rest of the day with my kids.”
Daley’s Olympic journey began in 2008 at the Beijing Games, where he achieved 7th place in the men’s individual 10-meter platform event. He went on to win a bronze medal in the event four years later at the London Olympics, becoming one of the faces of the Games. He also won bronze in the synchronized 10-meter event at the Rio Games.
His popularity increased after he came out as gay in 2013, with his personal life and knitting hobby featured in tabloids and on social media, where he accumulated millions of followers.
He finally took gold at the Tokyo Games, winning the synchronized 10-meter platform event with diving partner Matty Lee, in a huge upset to China’s goal of taking all eight golds on offer.
When asked by Reuters about his future plans, Daley kept his options open. The next Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles in 2028.
“Oh, gosh, I don’t really know yet,” he said. “I went from being the youngest on the team in 2008 to now the oldest diver on the team. I want to enjoy this moment and make decisions about the future of diving later on.”
“They might be adding different events into the Olympic Games in LA ... I live in LA now. So it could be, you know, a chance to do a second home Olympic Games,” he said. “But for right now, I just want to enjoy this moment and we’ll see how it goes after that.”
