Tom Daley: ‘My gold medal is seeing my family by my side’
Daley had stepped away from diving in 2021 after the last Olympics to focus on family, but in the end, family is exactly what convinced him to make a remarkable comeback just two years later.
“It took me going to the Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs actually, where at the end, there’s this video of what it means to be an Olympian. And it took me completely off guard,” Daley said.
“I had quite an emotional response as my son … said to me that he wanted to see me dive in the Olympics. And, of course, when your children say that they want you to do something, whether it’s getting back into the pool and training for the Olympics, you do it.”
Daley officially returned in December, winning gold with Williams at the British National Diving Cup, with the pair then outlining their credentials on the global stage when clinching the sliver at the World Championships in February – qualifying for Paris 2024 as a result.
It means Daley will be competing in front of an Olympic crowd for the first time since Rio 2016, having won gold and bronze behind closed doors in Tokyo.
And with that gold medal already safely back home, he is not putting any pressure on himself this time around, and relishing the prospect of diving in front of his family – particularly his two sons.
“(At Tokyo 2020) there was none of that excitement outside of the pool, which made it very focussed, but also made it very intense, whereas this time I think lots of athletes are looking to really soak up the experience. But for me, going into this in terms of expectations, I just want to be able to go out, show my best,” Daley said.
“My biggest achievement is to be able to dive in front of my husband and my two little kids.”