Great Britain’s Tom Daley arrives by Eurostar into London St. Pancras International train station after competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics in France, Monday Aug. 12, 2024. Five-time Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley has announced his retirement from diving. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)
LONDON — Five-time Olympic medalist Tom Daley announced his retirement from diving on Monday.
Daley told British Vogue magazine he had decided to call time on his career.
The 30-year-old British diver competed at five Games, making his debut at Beijing 2008 and winning gold and bronze in Tokyo, silver in Paris and bronzes at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Daley, who claimed his fifth Olympic medal in the 10m synchronized event in Paris last month, said in the interview: “It feels very, very surreal. I felt so incredibly nervous going into this, knowing it was my last Olympics.”
‘THANK YOU, DIVING. OVER AND OUT’ ❤️
Great Britain's diver Tom Daley has announced his retirement from the sport after winning his fifth Olympic medal at the 2024 Paris #Olympics. | 📷: Daley pic.twitter.com/AfZoeDVgzG
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) August 13, 2024
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“There was a lot of pressure and expectations. 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. … 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.”
Daley’s gold came in the 10m synchronized event in Tokyo in 2021 alongside Matty Lee. He was back to defend his title in Paris after being convinced by his son Robbie to return to the sport.
Daley won silver in the French capital alongside Noah Williams. China took gold.