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Tom Daley

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Tom Daley
Born (1994-05-21) 21 May 1994 (age 30)
Plymouth, England
OccupationDiver

Thomas Robert "Tom" Daley (born 21 May 1994 in Plymouth, England[1]) is an English diver, who has made an impact in national and international competition at an early age. He started diving at the age of eight, and is a member of Plymouth Diving Club. His early diving heroes were Canadian diver Alexandre Despatie, who won gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games at the age of 13,[1] and British diver Leon Taylor.

Daley was an age-group British champion in all events (1m springboard, 3m springboard, platform) in 2004, 2005 and 2006. In platform, he won his first National Junior (under 18) title in June 2004 at the age of ten, making him the youngest winner of that event. In 2005 he competed as a guest in the Australian Elite Junior Nationals, and came first in platform and second in 3m springboard in the 14-15 event. He also competed in the 14-15 category at the 2005 Aachen Junior International, coming second in platform and third in 3m springboard. In 2006 he was the under-18 British champion in platform and springboard, and he came second in the 10m platform at the 2007 senior British Championships, which were held in December 2006.

In January 2007, at the age of twelve, Daley was given a special dispensation to compete at the Youth Olympics in Australia. The usual minimum age is fifteen. Despite a persistent thumb injury, Daley managed to win a silver medal with Callum Johnstone in the 10-metre synchronised-diving final. Later in 2007 he won the senior platform title at the ASA National Championships [2] That year he began to compete on FINA's international diving circuit of Grand Prix and World Series events, twice finishing fourth in individual competition. In January 2008 he won the 10m platform event at the British Championships to become the youngest winner of the senior British 10m title.[3] He also took the 10m platform synchro title with new partner Blake Aldridge. Two weeks later he won his first medals on the FINA circuit, collecting a bronze in the individual platform competition and a silver in synchro at the Madrid Grand Prix.[4] After this event, he was 19th in the FINA Diving World Rankings men's 10-metre platform category.[5] 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. [6]

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 receives financial support from the British government's Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, which enables him to travel to competitions around the world. [7] He is one of the British Olympic hopefuls being tracked through the years leading up to London 2012 by the BBC television series Olympic Dreams. Daley has qualified for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 in the individual 10 metre dive competition, and in competing will become the youngest ever male British Olympian.[8]

Honours

Diving

  • British champion in all events (1m, 3m, platform) in 2004, 2005 and 2006 in the relevant age group.
  • Gold medal at the Australian Junior Elite Diving Championships in 2005.
  • 2007 British Championships (held 15-16 December 2006): 10m platform junior champion
  • 2007 ASA National Championships: 10m platform senior champion and junior champion, 10m platform syncro senior champion, 3m platform junior champion
  • 2008 British Championships: 10m platform champion, 10m platform synchro champion (with Blake Aldridge)

General awards

References

  1. ^ a b "Thomas Daley Biography". Olympics.org.uk. 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ ASA (Amateur Swimming Association) championships are for English competitors only.
  3. ^ Diving: Daley, 13, close to clinching Olympic place, sport.independent.co.uk, 7 January 2008
  4. ^ Tom Daley wins two diving medals in Madrid, telegraph.co.uk, 20 January 2008.
  5. ^ Fina Diving World Ranking
  6. ^ Thomas Daley Delivers with Bronze at the World Cup, plymouthdiving.com, 22 February 2008.
  7. ^ Growing for Gold, Daily Mirror, 3 October 2005
  8. ^ 13 year-old Daley heads to Bejing, The Guardian, 24 February 2008.
  9. ^ "BBC honours South West sports stars". BBC.co.uk. December 5 2005. Retrieved 12 February 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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