Diving Daley Bronzes Up for Team GB

Tom Daley hopes that his incredible performance in winning an Olympic diving bronze medal in London will inspire British youngsters to take up the sport.

Plymouth’s Daley wants Team GB to have the pick of the best young diving talent in the country by the time he goes in search of gold at Rio 2016.

Daley dived to a brilliant standard in the diving finals after a rather mediocre start – but then the 18 year old had only just lost his dad to cancer not so many months ago and he’d been off his game ever since.

Charismatic Tom picked up Britain’s seventh medal ever in Olympic diving at the Aquatics Centre, diving so well and finishing with a score of 556.95 points.

The crowd thought he was on a sticky wicket with his first finals dive that went horribly wrong – but Daley was professional enough to take a complaint to the referee that flash photography had put him off.

The referee decided that Tom should retake the dive – and oh! my! What a beauty.  It put him right back in the close race and he dived to almost perfection from then to his final dive

American David Boudia claimed the gold, with red hot favourite Qiu Bo, China’s world champion in tears, having to settle for silver.

Daley was roared on by a passionate crowd of 17,500, with millions more watching on television.

When the final score showed that Tom was a medallist, he and his amazing team took to the pool to celebate.

Tom hopes his performance will have a lasting impact.  I’m sure it will Tom – and the nation can’t wait for Rio de Janeiro 2016.

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If you’d like to read more of Sheila’s view of the London Olympics 2012, go to:

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