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Tom Daley

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Tom Daley
Daley at the parade in London to celebrate the achievements of British competitors at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Personal information
Full nameThomas Robert Daley[1]
Height5 ft 7.5 in (1.71 m)[2]
Sport
CountryUnited Kingdom
Event(s)10 m, 10 m synchro, 3 m
ClubPlymouth Diving Club
PartnerMax Brick
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Men's Diving
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 Rome 10 metre platform
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Eindhoven 10 metre platform
Junior World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2008 Aachen 10 metre platform (Cat. "B")
Silver medal – second place 2008 Aachen 3 metre springboard (Cat. "B")

Thomas Robert "Tom" Daley (born 21 May 1994, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom[3]) is a British diver, who specialises in the 10 metre platform event and is currently the FINA World Champion. He started diving at the age of seven, and is a member of Plymouth Diving Club. He has made an impact in national and international competition at an early age. 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.[4] In the most recent post-Rome 2009 World Championships edition of the FINA World Diving Rankings for the ten-metre platform, he reached a new career best ranking of number one.[5] He shares his home in Plymouth with his father Robert, his mother Debbie and his two younger brothers, William and Ben.

Early career

Daley's early diving heroes were Canadian diver Alexandre Despatie, who won gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games at the age of 13,[3] and British diver Leon Taylor. Daley was spotted by a coach, taking part in regular diving lessons, and was placed in a competitive squad in September 2002. His first competition was the National Novice Championships in April 2003, where he won a medal in the 8/9 year old boys' category. In September 2003 he took part in an invitational event in Southampton, where he won the 1 m, 3 m and platform events, and first made his mark on the wider audience. Daley won his age-group at the British Championships in the 1 m springboard, the 3 m springboard, and platform in 2004, 2005, and 2006. [6]

In June 2004, the month after his tenth birthday,[7] he won the platform competition in the National Junior (under 18) group, making him the youngest winner of that event. In 2005 he competed as a guest competitor in the Australian Elite Junior Nationals, and placed first in platform and second in 3 m springboard in the 14-15 age group event. He also competed in the 14-15 category at the 2005 Aachen Junior International, placing second in platform and third in 3 m springboard. He met the qualification standard for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but was not selected for the England team because of his age.[8] In 2006 he was the under-18 British champion in platform and 3m springboard, and he placed second in the 10 m platform at the 2007 senior British Championships, which were held in December 2006.[6]

International success

2007

In January 2007, at the age of twelve, Daley was given a special dispensation to compete at the 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival. The usual minimum age is fifteen. Competing with a persistent thumb injury, Daley won the silver medal with synchro-partner Callum Johnstone in the 10-metre synchronised-diving final.

Later in 2007, he won the senior platform title at the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) National Championships, the national championship for English divers. In 2007 he also began to compete on FINA's international diving circuit of Grand Prix and World Series events, twice finishing fourth in individual competition.

2008

In January 2008 he won the 10 m platform event at the British Championships to become the youngest winner of the senior British 10 m title.[9] He also won the 10 m platform synchro title with new partner Blake Aldridge.

Two weeks later he won his first medals on the FINA circuit, winning a bronze in the individual platform competition and a silver in synchro at the Madrid Grand Prix.[10] Daley and Aldridge won bronze in synchro at the 2008 FINA Diving World Cup. Their score was a British record, and Daley became the youngest-ever male medallist in a world diving event.[11] Daley came seventh in the individual competition. In March 2008, Daley became the youngest person to win a gold medal at the European Championships, held in Eindhoven.[12] The previous youngest winner was the Scottish swimmer Ian Black, who won a European gold in 1958 at the age of 17.

Daley qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in the individual 10 metre dive competition and, following the retirement of 2004 silver medallist Leon Taylor, in the 10 metre platform synchro competition. It was initially claimed by the British media that in competing he would become the youngest-ever male British Olympian,[13] until it was ascertained that Ken Lester, cox to the rowing pair at the 1960 Olympic Games, had been 13 years and 144 days old at the time.[14] In the Olympic synchronised 10 metre platform competition, they placed 8th,[15] while in the individual 10 metre platform competition he finished 7th.[16]

A month after his appearance at the Olympics, Daley participated in the FINA Junior World Championships for the first time (being too young to enter before). He finished second in the category "B" platform competition (for 14- and 15-year-old boys) with 549.60 points, between China's Qiu Bo (551.85 points) and Wu Dongliang (474.00 points).[17] He came in second in the 3-metre springboard competition in the same category as well, with 485.25 points, sandwiched between the two Chinese divers, Wu Dongliang (510.25 points) and Wang Peng (470.40 points).

Daley won the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Young Personality award. He is considered a medal prospect for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and is one of the British Olympians being tracked through the years leading up to London 2012 by the BBC television series Olympic Dreams. By April 2008 he was on British Diving's list of funded divers. [citation needed]

2009

In February 2009 he retained his individual British 10 m championship, setting a competition personal best score of 517.55 points, 133.45 points ahead of the second-placed diver. He was unable to defend his 10 m synchronised title, as his dive partner Blake Aldridge had been injured in a brawl at a nightclub several days before the championships and was unable to dive.[18][19] In March 2009 he improved his personal best to 540.70 in coming third at a Diving World Series event in China, [20] and the following month he improved it to 540.85 while finishing second at the World Series event in Sheffield.[21]

During the Olympics Daley had a row with diving partner Blake Aldridge when the latter phoned his mother between rounds. When Aldridge missed the British Championships because of the injury sustained in the nightclub incident, Daley's father said he'd like his son to have a different diving partner. In April 2009 he started to dive with Max Brick, who is two years his senior, compared with the twelve year gap with Aldridge.[22] The pair achieved a silver medal in the 10m synchronised event at Fort Lauderdale on 8 May 2009.[23] Daley won the individual event in a new personal best of 554.90, scoring a perfect set of seven 10s for one of his dives. [24]

In the 2009 FINA World Championships, held in Rome, Daley unexpectedly won the individual 10 m platform title despite his lower tariff, with a score of 539.85 points, when his opponents had poor final dives - Qiu Bo finished on 532.20 points, Zhou Luxin on 530.55.[25] In the 10 m platform synchronised event at the World Championships, Daley and Brick finished in 9th place following an inconsistent series of dives by the new pairing.[26]

2010

In the February 2010 British Championships individual 10 m competition, Daley unveiled his 5255B dive (back two-and-a-half somersault, two-and-a-half twists) in competition for the first time, giving him a 3.6 tariff dive (reduced from 3.8 in FINAs' September 2009 DD tables[27]). In this competition Daley finished in 2nd place, 40.05 points behind Peter Waterfield.[28][29]

Competitive history

  • British champion in all events (1 m, 3 m, platform) in 2004, 2005 and 2006 in the relevant age group.
Competition 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Beijing 2008 Olympics, 10 m 7th
Beijing 2008 Olympics, 10 m (synchro) 8th†
FINA World Championships, 10 m 1st
FINA World Championships, 10 m (synchro) 9th§
FINA Junior Diving World Championships, 3 m ("B") 2nd
FINA Junior Diving World Championships, Boys 10 m Platform ("B") 2nd
European Championships, 10 m 1st
European Championships, 10 m (synchro) 6th†
British Championships, 10 m 3rd 2nd 1st 1st 2nd
British Championships, 10 m (synchro) 1st†
British Championships, 10 m (Junior) 1st 1st 1st
British Championships, 3 m (Junior) 4th
British Championships, 1 m 17th
FINA Diving World Series, Doha, Qatar, 10 m 6th
FINA Diving World Series, Changzhou, China, 10 m 3rd
FINA Diving World Series, Nanjing, China, 10 m 4th
FINA Diving World Series, Tijuana, Mexico, 10 m 5th
FINA Diving World Series, Tijuana, Mexico, 10 m (synchro) 5th†
FINA Diving World Series, Sheffield, 10 m 4th 2nd 2nd
FINA Diving World Series, Sheffield, 10 m (synchro) 5th† 1st† 5th§
FINA Diving Grand Prix, Fort Lauderdale, 10 m 1st
FINA Diving Grand Prix, Fort Lauderdale, 10 m (synchro) 2nd§
FINA Diving Grand Prix, Madrid, 10 m 4th
FINA Diving Grand Prix, Canada, 10 m 10th
ASA National Championships, 10 m 1st
ASA National Championships, 10 m (synchro) 1st
ASA National Championships, 10 m (Junior) 2nd 1st
ASA National Championships, 3 m (Junior) 1st 1st 1st
ASA National Championships, 3 m 2nd
ASA Elite Junior National Championships, 1 m 1st
ASA Elite Junior National Championships, 3 m 1st
ASA Elite Junior National Championships, 10 m 1st
CAMO Invitational Meet, 10 m 6th
CAMO Invitational Meet, 10 m (synchro) 1st†
Australian Junior Elite Diving Championships, 10 m 1st
Australian Junior Elite Diving Championships, 3 m 2nd
Aachen Junior International, 10 m 2nd
Aachen Junior International, 3 m 3rd

†with Blake Aldridge
§with Max Brick

Education

From age 11 to 14 Daley attended Eggbuckland Community College. At 13 he became a celebrity supporter of ChildLine, a children's helpline run by the NSPCC, and at that time it was revealed that he had been bullied eighteen months earlier. [30] In April 2009 Daley alleged to Plymouth's main local newspaper The Herald that he had been regularly bullied at school since the Olympics [31], and his father told the BBC that he had temporarily withdrawn him from Eggbuckland because its response to the problem had been ineffective. [32] Daley was praised in the media for speaking out about the problem. [33] [34] Daley was promptly offered a full scholarship to board at independent school Brighton College, but his father turned this down due to the distance from home, and entered negotiations with local independent school Plymouth College, which had offered him a "very significant scholarship".[35] Plymouth College regularly offers swimming scholarships, and its ex-pupils include 2008 Olympic medallist Cassie Patten. [36] A few weeks later it was confirmed that Daley had enrolled at Plymouth College. [37]

Daley is taking his GCSEs in small batches to fit round his diving commitments. He persuaded supermodel Kate Moss to pose for a recreation of an original portrait by David Hockney, as part of a GCSE photography project recreating great works of art, after meeting her on a photo shoot for the Italian version of Vogue.[38]

Honours and awards

  • Named Youngster of the Year by BBC South West in 2005.[39]
  • Named BBC South West Sports Personality of the Year, and Young Sports Personality of the Year, 2009.[40]
  • Short-listed to the final ten for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award in 2006.
  • Short-listed to the final three for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award in 2008[41]
  • Named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2007 and 2009 (first person to win this award twice).[42]
  • Short-listed to the final ten for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2009.[43]
  • Ranked #63 in Time's 2008 edition of 100 Olympic Athletes To Watch[44]
  • 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.[45]

References

  1. ^ Lonsbrough, Anita (2008-02-25). "Diver Tom Daley, 13, to make Olympic history". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-08-29. When Thomas Robert Daley dives…
  2. ^ Daily Mail article
  3. ^ a b "Thomas Daley Biography". Olympics.org.uk. 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  4. ^ Beijing 2008 official site, Competition Information, Athletes and Teams
  5. ^ "Fina Diving World Ranking".
  6. ^ a b "Thomas Daley - Mens Platform World Champion 2009". Plymouth Diving. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
  7. ^ There is some confusion concerning his age on first winning the British U18 title: a few reports, including his mother, have stated that he was 9, but his official British Swimming profile states he was 10.
  8. ^ "Tom Daley: Set to make a splash at Beijing". ABC News. abc.net.au. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  9. ^ "Daley, 13, close to clinching Olympic place",
  10. ^ "Tom Daley wins two diving medals in Madrid".
  11. ^ "Thomas Daley Delivers with Bronze at the World Cup"
  12. ^ "Youngster Daley claims Euro gold" - BBC.co.uk
  13. ^ "13 year-old Daley heads to Bejing (sic)", The Guardian, 24 February 2008.
  14. ^ "Daley is not the youngest Olympian", Daily Mail, 25 February 2008.
  15. ^ "Daley's diving disappointment" Sky News, 11 August 2008.
  16. ^ "Great Britain's diving sensation Tom Daley finishes seventh in 10 m platform final" Daily Telegraph, 23 August 2008.
  17. ^ "Platform Boys Final - Youth B"
  18. ^ "Daley sets new PB as he takes British title", The Herald (Plymouth), 7 February 2009.
  19. ^ "Olympic diver Blake Aldridge injured in nightclub attack", Daily Telegraph, 7 February 2009.
  20. ^ Daley takes World Series bronze, BBC Sports report, 28 March 2009.
  21. ^ Daley secures World Series silver
  22. ^ Shea, Julian (2009-04-07). "Daley's new diving partner named". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  23. ^ "Daley and Brick land silver in US". BBC News Online. 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  24. ^ British teen Daley wins gold in men's platform, Associated Press, 9 May 2009
  25. ^ "Diving: Tom Daley wins Britain's first ever World Championships gold". Daily Telegraph. 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  26. ^ "Daley and Brick struggle in final". BBC News Online. 2009-07-25. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  27. ^ "FINA TABLE OF DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY" (PDF). FINA. September 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  28. ^ "Peter Waterfield beats Tom Daley to National Cup title". BBC News Online. 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  29. ^ "Southampton's Waterfield beats Daley to national title". Southern Daily Echo. 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  30. ^ 13 Year old British Olympian pledges support for the NSPCC, nspcc.org.uk, undated (early 2008).
  31. ^ Star Tom Daley taunted by playground bullies, thisisplymouth.co.uk, 23 April 2009.
  32. ^ Dive star Daley bullied at school, bbc.co.uk, 23 April 2009.
  33. ^ Charity backs bullied Tom Daley, CBBC Newsround, 25 April 2009.
  34. ^ An Olympic hero aged just 14 – but bullies make his life hell,news.scotsman.com, 24 April 2009.
  35. ^ Private schools compete for Tom Daley, timesonline.co.uk, 24 April 2009.
  36. ^ bronze medal for Cassie!, plymouthcollege.com, 20 August 2008.
  37. ^ Dive star moves to public school, bbc.co.uk, 2 June 2009.
  38. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1233534/TOM-DALEY-SPECIAL-How-I-got-supermodel-Kate-Moss-pose-GCSE-photography-project.html
  39. ^ "BBC honours South West sports stars". BBC.co.uk. 5 December 2005. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  40. ^ "BBC South West Sports Awards 2009". BBC Devon. BBC. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  41. ^ "Sportsround reveals young sports star finalists". CBBC Newsround. BBC. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  42. ^ "Tom Daley wins second Young BBC Personality award". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  43. ^ "Contenders for BBC Sports Personality award revealed". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  44. ^ Brunton, Michael. "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch - 63. Tom Daley". Time. Time, Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-22. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  45. ^ "LEN Magazine Names Paul Biedermann, Britta Steffen Athletes of the Year". Lane 9 News. Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved 2009-09-25.

News articles

Awards
Preceded by BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year
2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year
2009 		Succeeded by
incumbent
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