Olympic Update:
Thomas and teammate Blake Aldridge finished last in synchronized platform, and received a lot of bad publicity in the British press as a result. A seventh place finish on platform redeemed the 14-year-old and showed that the future does look bright.Reminds Us Of:
At the age of 13 Thomas Daley won a major international diving title on platform – the European Swimming Championships. That kind of success is eerily similar to one of Daley’s idols, current Olympic medalist
Alexandre Despatie. Despatie won the platform competition at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 at the age of 13, and has gone on to be multiple world and Olympic Games medalist.
Five Is The Number :
Daley will be 14-years-old at the start of the 2008 Olympic Games. He has stated that he would like to compete in five Olympics, culminating in 2024 at the age of 30. Beijing may just be a warm-up for the future.
Success in 2008:
Don't let the braces fool you, Thomas has had a stellar year on platform so far in 2008. Internationally, he won gold at the
European Swimming Championships, he and teammate Blake Aldridge won a bronze in synchronized platform at the
2008 FINA World Cup in Beijing, and at the FINA Grand Prix in Madrid he finished third on platform, and also in synchro platform.
Can He Really Compete:
Can Thomas really compete at this level? At the age of 14 he is a compelling story, and he will draw a great deal of attention. He has medaled in international competition and you don’t do that unless you are good. So the answer is yes, he can compete. Will he be able to defeat Germany's Sascha Klein, American
David Boudia, Russian Gleb Galperin, and the Chinese? You would have to say that he faces long odds, but young divers with a great rip have had success in the Olympics. Ask Greg Louganis about Tan Liangde!
Thomas' Stats:
- Height: 5 ft. 2 in.
- Age: 14
- Birth Date: May 21, 1994
- Hometown: Plymouth, Great Britain
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