Tom Daley will compete in the 10m synchronised platform with Noah Williams; Daley won his first gold medal at the last games in Tokyo and says a return "will bring the joy back into diving"
Wednesday 17 July 2024 17:18, UK
Tom Daley has said his son is the main inspiration behind his return to compete at a fifth Olympic games.
The 29-year-old took a two-year break from diving after he ended his long wait for an Olympic Gold during the delayed 2021 Tokyo Games. Daley claimed his first gold medal, after back-to-back bronze medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016, alongside his synchro partner Matty Lee.
At the Paris Olympics, the 10m synchro champion will partner up with Noah Williams in a bid to secure gold again but after contemplating retirement, his son has motivated him to compete once more.
"I thought Tokyo was my last games," Daley told Sky Sports News.
"With a little bit of time and a bit of space, it made me really miss diving, that atmosphere, the team-mates and being able to travel and see my friends from around the world but it actually all came down to my son Robbie who wanted to see me dive again.
"When your kid says that they want you to do something, you'd do anything for your kids. I remember thinking it was an impossible dream to take two years out and get back in time to qualify and be ready to dive at an Olympics within a year seems kind of silly, but he said 'Papa I want to see you diving at the Olympics' and that was that."
Daley officially returned in December 2023 and won silver in February's World Championships alongside Williams. Although his career in diving spans over 16 years, he says returning after a spell away from the sport has been eye-opening.
"This year has been so much fun to just bring the joy back into diving," he said.
"My whole life I've been wanting to win that Olympic gold medal and being able to do that in Tokyo makes this time around feel like I'm going there to have fun and enjoy it.
"The fact that my kids are going to be there to watch me compete along with my husband and my mum and friends, it's going to be the closest to a home Olympic games that we're going to get.
"Of course when you go into an Olympic games, you want to go in there and do your best job and to win but there's a reality that I've only been training for the last year when everyone else has been training for three years.
"I know that Noah and I are in a good position and we've been working really hard and we're going to go into it and just give it our best shot. whatever happens, happens."
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