Young British Up and Comer Takes a Dive, but Still Hopeful

TAKING A DIVE: 14-year old diver Tom Daley of Great Britain speaks during a press conference before the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Daley, who is the youngest British Olympian since 1960, is also the youngest verified competi (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

At 14 years old, Plymouth-born Tom Daley is the youngest British Olympian since the 1960’s, as well as the youngest official competitor in the Beijing Olympics.

Unfortunately for Daley and his partner Blake Aldridge, a combination of factors—nerves, lack of experience and poor chemistry between the duo— led to a disappointing last place finish in the August 11 men’s synchronized 10m platform diving final.

Aldridge, 26, seemed to be playing the blame game in criticizing Daley’s performance, describing him as “worrying about everyone and everything.” The evaluation was somewhat unfair given Aldridge’s own poor scores and being distracted by a phone call from his mother during the competition.

But Daley’s career has only just begun and he is still presented with an opportunity to shine to his full potential in next week’s individual 10m platform competition.

And what a formidable talent the young man possesses. Having began his diving career at the young age of 7, he shot to fame in 2007 when he became BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year.

Daley’s first taste of the Olympic experience was as part of Team Great Britain’s outstandingly successful force of 106 athletes who claimed 48 medals against elite world class opponents at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in January 2007. Despite requiring special dispensation to be allowed to compete in the competition, two years below the minimum age requirement of 14, Daley went home with a silver medal in the 10m synchronized platform event and finished fourth in the individual competition.

In March 2008, he claimed the European Men’s 10m Platform Individual title in Eindhoven at the age of 13, becoming Britain’s youngest diving gold medalist in the process. In this, his finest sporting moment, he overcame the tremendous obstacle facing him that was the current World Champion and World Cup Champion to take the gold with perfect dives in rounds four and five.

This achievement followed a disappointing synchronized performance in the same event, so if history stands to reason we may yet see Daley hit a top-notch performance in his later events.

As for his ultimate ambition, you guessed it—it is to win a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics.