From a 14-year-old Beijing schoolboy to an athlete in Paris, his children served as the motivation for his perseverance while he watched from the stands.
Tom Daley was undoubtedly happy with silver, but the 10m synchro platform crown from Tokyo 2020 could not be maintained because Chinese competitors were simply too good this time.
With a full collection, this five-time Olympian now possesses five medals.
However, during the run-up to Beijing 2008, the schoolboy phenomenon told me he was happy to be acknowledged at Starbucks and get a complimentary chocolate frappuccino.
“It’s really weird to think people respect you and recognize you for what you do,” he said during our initial conversation.
Something he had to get used to being the biggest star in diving worldwide rather than the face of British sport.
Sixteen years later, we were talking about the voyage at the Team GB house in Paris with our diving partner Noah Williams. We had won silver medals just hours before.
According to Daley, it’s all about going back to 2008 and not truly understanding the scope and magnificence of the Olympics before being able to participate and earn medals along the way.
