TOM DALEY: A YOUNG DIVING STAR.

                                                                                   

Tom Daley (born on 21st May in Plymouth, England) is a British diver specialised in the 10 metre platform. He won the gold medals in the European Swimming Championships in 2008 and 2012. He has also won the gold medal in the 2009 World Championships and the bronze medal in the London Olympic Games in 2012.

He started diving at the age of 7 in the Plymouth Diving Club. He started showing his talent when he became the child to have won most junior events. When he was 11, he was invited to the Australian National Championship, where he occupied the first place in 10 m platform and the second in 3 m springboard, beating all the participants who were between the age of 14-15.

                                                                           

In 2008, he was the British under-18 winner in platform and also in 3 m springboard. It seemed not enough for him as he decided to participate in the senior competition, and to the public surprise, he became the youngest winner of the senior British 10 m title.

                                                                                   

His career has grown up a lot since that moment. He began to compete in the international FINA circuits becoming one of the youngest participants. In 2008 he won two medals in the Gran Premio de Madrid (a silver in synchro and a bronze in the individual platform competition). Daley qualified for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in platform and, following the retirement of 2004 silver medalist Leon Taylor, in the 10 m platform synchro competition. It was initially claimed by the British media that in competing he would become the youngest-ever male British Olympian.


                                                                     

Daley won the 2007 BBC Sports Young Personality of the Year award and he was considered a medal prospect for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He became one of the British Olympians being tracked through the years leading up to London 2012 by the BBC TV series Olympic Dreams.

                                                                 

                                                                           


On December 2013, Tom Daley appeared in all media for a reason not having to do with sport. He released a video announcing that he has been in a relationship with a man since early that year. He said: "I still fancy girls, but at the moment I´ve never been happier."  Daley later said that it was a tough decision to speak out about his private life. He said: " I'd never felt the feeling of love, it happened so quickly, I was completely overwhelmed by it to the point I can't get him out of my head all the time."

                                                                   



I think that Tom is a really nice and hard-working person. He works hard trying to make all his dreams come true. And to me, that´s admirable.

This article has been written by Rocío Rivera Steimel. 4º ESO B.