Tom Daley has retired from diving following the Summer Olympics 2024, saying his departure from the sport is “hard” but has come at the “right time”.
A Games debutant in 2008 as a 14-year-old, Daley won bronzes in the 10m at the London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 Games and the men’s synchronised 10m platform at the 2016 edition in Rio 2016.
The four-time world and five-time European champion initially retired after winning gold in the synchronised 10m platform with Matty Lee in Tokyo, but returned to take silver in the same competition alongside Noah Williams this year.
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Tom Daley retires
“I’m really happy with how everything’s gone,” Daley told BBC Sport, having competed in Paris partly in order to be able to perform in front of his two children.
“It’s always hard when you say goodbye to your sport. There are lots of things to process but I think it’s the right time.
“This year felt like such a bonus and I got to compete in front of my family, my kids. I got to be flagbearer… bucket list ticked off on every occasion.”
Daley: ‘Pressure’ for medals
Five-time Olympian Daley is the most successful diver in the history of Team GB and is one of the most recognisable faces of the team.
The 30-year-old shared footage from the closing ceremony on Sunday and said his finale had been “very, very surreal”.
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“I felt so incredibly nervous going into this, knowing it was my last Olympics,” he told Vogue.
“There was a lot of pressure and expectation. I was eager for it to be done… but when I walked out and saw my husband [Lance] and kids [Robbie and Phoenix] and my friends and family in the audience, I was like, ‘you know what? This is exactly why I did this. I’m here, and no matter what happens in the competition itself, I’m going to be happy.’
“It was emotional at the end, up there on the platform, knowing it was going to be my last competitive dive.
“But I have to make the decision at some point and it feels like the right time. It’s the right time to call it a day.”
