Tom Daley

Thomas Robert "Tom" Daley (born 21 May 1994)[2] is an English diver and television

personality. Daley specialises in the 10 metre platform event and was the 2009 FINA World

Champion in the individual event at the age of 15. 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

competitions from age 9. 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 2009, Daley reached a career best

ranking of number one in the FINA World Diving Rankings for the ten-metre platform.[5]

He won two gold medals for England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in the 10 metre

synchro diving (with Max Brick) and the 10 m Individual Platform competition,[6] and won the

bronze medal for Great Britain in the individual competition at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.[7]

After his success at the 2012 Olympic Games and a summer of great sporting interest amongst

the public in the UK, television networkITV approached Daley to have a role in their new celebrity

diving reality TV show Splash!. Daley made his debut in the show's premiere on 5 January 2013

as a mentor to the celebrity competitors taking part.[8]

om Daley's early diving hero was Canadian diver Alexandre Despatie, who won gold at the 1998

Commonwealth Games at the age of 13,[9] and British diver Leon Taylor, who later mentored him.[10] 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.[11]

In June 2004, the month after his tenth birthday,[12] he won the platform competition in the

National Junior (under 18) group, making him the youngest winner of that event.[11] In 2005 Daley

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 the2006 Commonwealth Games, but was

not selected for the England team because of his age.[13] 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.[11]