- 10 Aug 08, 11:35 AM
I'm not going to go on record and say Tom Daley is not going to win a medal at this Olympics - but it is unrealistic to expect one.
What he has achieved to date is incredible and we should really be focusing on that. To go to your first Olympics at any age and win a medal isn't that common, so to go at 14 and win one, no matter how good you are, is unrealistic.
I first met Tom when he was 10. I was at a competition and was told this kid wanted to meet his hero - which was a bit of weird thing! I remember showing him my Olympic medal and he made a real impression on me. I thought 'wow, not only has this kid got the skills but he's really got something about him'.
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That initial meeting stayed with me and that's why I put my hand up to mentor him. Little did I realise that he was about to go on this incredible journey, qualifying for the Olympics at the age of 14.
Tom really is the complete package. What I had was, let's say, 70% talent and the rest tenacity and determination. Tom is probably 85-90% talent, but he's still got that will to work hard.
I've seen athletes before with lots of natural talent but often that means they don't try. They just sit back on what they've got. Tom has got oodles of natural talent and he's also got that bit between his teeth - it's a perfect combination.
With diving, it all comes down to what happens on the day and that's why I won't rule out Tom coming back with a medal.
It's the Olympic Games and there will be people who make massive mistakes and if the right people make those mistakes and you're not making any, the outcome can be totally different.
If Tom is going to win one, it's more likely to come in Monday's synchronised when he competes with Blake Aldridge.
In some ways, they've already done the hard part by qualifying. There are now only eight teams left and it's a straight shoot-out, no preliminaries, no semi-finals. The worse they can finish is eighth, which in itself is a fantastic achievement.
But with it being a straight final, it does mean that every dive counts. That's the challenge: holding it together when you haven't had a warm-up, haven't had a chance to get used to the crowd, get used to the pool, get used to what will be an electric, intense atmosphere.
Tom and Blake might not look the most obvious pairing on paper.
There is the age difference of 12 years for start, but they work well. Blake's a bit of a kid at heart anyway and they always mess about a bit, which I think Blake finds quite liberating.
In synchro, you get two sets of scores. The first are the execution scores where you're looking for an upright entry into the water with absolutely no splash. Then you have to be synchronised: so take off at the same time, spin around at the same time and hit the water at the same time.
China are the favourites to take gold and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they won all 12 diving medals. They won nine of the 10 gold medals at the World Championships and dominated the World Cup in February in Beijing. Russia are the second favourites if they're fielding their top team - the 2005 world champions and silver medallists in 2007. Bronze will be hotly-contested between the rest, but I'd tip Germany because they're the pair in form this year.
After the synchro, Tom will be back for the individual event, with qualifying on 22 August and the semi-finals and final a day later.
Because he is so young, Tom won't have the highest degree of difficulty in his repertoire, which means mathematically he can't score as many points as his rivals. The scoring is pretty complicated. The raw scores from the judges are added together - after the highest and lowest are knocked off - and then multiplied by the degree of difficulty.
But obviously if he's doing his dives better than his rivals, even if they're doing more difficult dives, he's still going to out-score them.
The best advice I can give to Tom is to enjoy it and let his rivals do the worrying. Beijing is all about getting that experience before nailing it in London in 2012.
There's nothing like an Olympic experience to prepare you for your next one. Tom will go into his second Olympics so much wiser, so much better prepared. It's invaluable.
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Comments
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Go Blake and Tom!!!!!!!!! We're all rooting for you BOTH, one can't do this without the other. Just give it your best shot, great training for 2012! You'll know exactly what you're going up against then, at least!! All the luck in the world boys x
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Good luck! It's a relief to read this article; with all the hype that surrounds Tom - particularly during the Opening Ceremony when his face appeared often - to read a more realistic opinion of how he and Blake might perform.
If they do end up in sixth, say, I hope the critics don't come out...
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I would just like to say GOOD LUCK Tom and Blake go for it, do your best as you can only do. You are already sporting hero's by getting to the games. Tom you look as if you are enjoying yourself Take in the experience you are very lucky and you deserve to be there so Enjoy it. I have one last word I always say when I enter in competitions in my sport "It's not just the winning, It's the taking part" Good luck to you both we will all be watching.
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Tom Daley is very impressive, not just as a diver but also in his maturity. His press conference was excellent: He understands how sport works and the role of funding and sponsorship.
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Can someone please explain the scoring system to me? Why are the scores in 'Blue' Discounted? Thanks
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Actually, it is not entirely unrealistic for a 14 year old entering his/her first Olympic event to win a gold medal.
It happened in 1992 in Barcelona, when 13 year old Fu MingXia of China won the gold for 10m Platform diving. She subsequently went on to win 3 more gold medals later in her career.
But she is not the youngest. Majorie Gestring of the United States, was 13 years 267 days old when she won in springboard diving at Berlin in 1936.
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Well done to Blake and Tom for competing at the Olympic games. I do agree that just being there and taking part is a massive achievement. It must have been an amazing experience.
It does seem now though that the media attention has had a caustic effect on their relationship and perhaps also on their performance.
They are BOTH talented divers and maybe, understandably, Tom Daley is receiving more attention than Blake because of his age. However, this lopsided approach has clearly left the pair/team in disarray. It is not surprising that Blake is speaking out now and is making headlines for the wrong reasons. It sounds like a cry for help from within the maelstrom of 'Journalistic Jingoism' and 'Nationalistic News'.
I think that this situation highlights some of the underlying issues that exist within international sport/events and the reporting/broadcasting of it. It is extremely interesting to see the many strata that these gigantic events work on.
It must be many athletes' dream to compete at the Olympic games. They train hard to excel in their chosen sport and to arrive at the games is proof of their effort. On the other hand it is also indicative of their perhaps stubborn and definitely single-minded desire to be winners.
Many of the athletes may dream of representing their countries in such events. Others may be more interested in furthering their careers. There is obviously nothing wrong in that. Then of course there is the media/national/sponsor's interest and the accumulation of medals on the national level. The issue of the overall medals table and it's reflection of global hierarchy sits above all of this, but is a topic for another day.
It is saddening to say it but, I believe that the media/nation is so hungry for success that the likes of Aldrige and Daley are put under such immense pressure to succeed for the nation that, their personal ambitions are swept away in a tsunami of expectation.
There is nothing wrong with being proud of a fellow countryman's achievements but I think it is wrong to be so desperate that the ensuing pressure has an adverse effect on his/her chances.
I hope that is something to think about.
Good look to Tom Daley in the individual event. Don't expect too much of him, he is afer all, 14!
Good Luck also to all the other clean athletes at these games.
N.B. Overall, I think the BBC's coverage has been good. Thanks.
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