Olympics/Paralympics

Neither Tom Daley or I ever talked about winning a medal in the 10m individual platform competition and I'm very proud of the way he dived in the final.

He raised his game from the preliminaries to the semi-final and then raised his game again.

He'll be the first to admit that he was not on top of his game in the final, but he finished seventh and there are good things to take away from the Olympics.

Obviously there are things to improve on as well, but most importantly, he competed with a smile on his face and he goes away smiling.

The standard of diving at these Olympics has been absolutely mind-blowing - and I can't wait to see what the men's individual 10m platform has got in store when it starts on Friday.

Tom Daley will be in action again for Great Britain and I can tell you he's in good shape and diving well in training.

We didn't plan it, but I've actually seen him every day, either at the Water Cube - where he's been taking in the swimming competition - at the Village or at the team lodge, which is where athletes can meet up with friends and family.

Obviously, there was a bit of a furore about Blake Aldridge's comments about Tom after their disappointing performance in the synchro final last week. I know, because my phone was ringing off the hook!

Olympic Green Archery Field

A bit like the sailors at currently windless Qingdao, Britain's medal tally has hit the doldrums over the last couple of days.

There was concern this first week was going to be slow, and to be honest, so it has proved.

Apart from the swimmers, who've had a great Olympics, and the cycling team who will undoubtedly be Britain's biggest providers, there's been disappointment elsewhere.

Nothing out of judo, diving, badminton, tennis, shooting - and now archery, where I've been spending my time over the last few days.

Archery had a target of two medals, and managed only a 4th place in the women's team event.

Let's add some context to that.

Beijing, Water Cube

There is no doubt that Tom Daley and Blake Aldridge were well below their best today, finishing last of the eight pairs in the 10m synchronised diving final.

It was frustrating because their aerial work and synchronisation was fantastic but they were both off with their entries into the water. You saw the Chinese and Russian pairs going in with hardly any splash, while our boys weren't upright and throwing up lots of splash. That meant they were penalised heavily by the judges and they were quite a way off the pace in the end.

Nerves played their part. It's a big occasion and Tom and Blake are at their first Olympics. The other teams in the final had a lot more experience and that shone through.

There has been a massive amount of attention on Tom but I don't think that had any influence on the way he performed today. In the past few days, the team around him - including me as his mentor - have tried to protect him. In fact, I ended up doing a lot of interviews for the media so he didn't have to.

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'.

Last month, we produced a shortlist of 10 British athletes and asked you for your thoughts - both on the ones we named, and any other athletes occupying your thoughts ahead of the Beijing Games.

We had a great response, which certainly affected at least one decision on who made it into our final 10 to watch. And now we're publishing full profiles of each of those 10 athletes.

Hot on the heels of the youngest male to win Olympic gold, today we have the youngest female to win Olympic gold, the youngest known medallists and one that nobody is 100% sure about.

Thursday marked the last day of the domestic training camp for Britain's diving team before they head to Beijing.

Even though I'm no longer going to the Games as a competitor, I was there in my role as mentor and spent a lot of my time either one-to-one or in groups just sharing my experiences of the Olympics.

The team for Beijing is totally different to the one four years ago when 80% had already been to a Games. This time, 80% haven't.

I tried not to scare them, but it is really important that they are forewarned about what they can expect. The Olympics are totally different to anything they will have experienced before.

I have mixed feeling about the retirement of Leon Taylor from competitive diving.

That's me being very selfish, of course, as nothing would have given me greater pleasure that to see Leon and synchro partner Peter Waterfield go one better than they did in Athens four years ago and take gold in the platform event this time.

But I also know what a huge asset the 30-year-old will be alongside me in the commentary box.

Welcome to our Olympics and Paralympics blog, which we are launching as the countdown to the 2008 Games begins in earnest.

Wednesday marks exactly 100 days to go to the 8 August opening ceremony (though oddly enough the football tournament starts two days earlier).

Writers from across BBC Sport, Radio 5Live, BBC London and BBC News will bring you the inside track on all 28 Olympic sports, as well as the Games themselves - which are set to be truly fascinating, if controversial, given China's hosting of them.

One of the uncertainties at the moment from a British perspective is whether the Games will turn out to be a triumph - or a failure. My view is...

Keep reading this blog for all the latest about the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing and also for the inside track on the long build-up to London 2012.

News and reports will be on the BBC Sport website but our experts will bring you behind the scenes access to the world's biggest sporting event right here.

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I was hoping to go to Beijing as a competitor but unfortunately a back injury put paid to that and I had to retire in May.

Instead, I'm going to China as mentor to 14-year-old Tom Daley and the rest of the GB diving team. I'll also be commentating for the BBC as well as blogging for the website.

I was lucky enough to have a diving career lasting more than 20 years. The highlight, unquestionably, was winning a silver medal at the 2004 Games in Athens with my synchronised partner Peter Waterfield.