Back in the city he loves, Tom Daley on a mission to qualify for Rio 2016 Olympic Games
British diving pin-up aiming to earn one of four spots available in synchronised platform event with new partner Dan Goodfellow
Daley strikes a Christ the Redeemer pose with the ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ in the background (Getty Images/Matthew Stockman)
He enchanted the world at 14 by becoming the youngest British athlete to compete at the Olympics in 48 years at the Beijing 2008 Games. One year later, at 15, he became the youngest Briton to win a world title. At London 2012, aged 18, he won the individual bronze medal on the 10m platform. Now Tom Daley has his eye on not only the first, but also on the second Olympic gold of his career at the Rio 2016 Games.
Alongside Dan Goodfellow, his new partner in the synchronised 10m platform event, he arrived in Rio de Janeiro last Thursday (11 February) with the aim of winning a place for Great Britain in the one Olympic event they have yet to qualify for. Their chance will come at the FINA World Diving Cup, which is also the Rio 2016 test event and is being staged at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre from Friday to Wednesday (19-24 February).
World’s best divers in Rio for Olympic qualifier and test event at new-look venue
In a video published on his YouTube channel (see below), Daley spoke about his training routine with Goodfellow, as the duo prepared to go into battle for the last four places available in the event.
“It’s going to be incredibly tough, but we’ll give it our best shot”
Tom Daley
The individual 10m platform is the event in which Daley has had most success – he won his 2009 world title and 2012 Olympic bronze medal in this competition – and he has also already won a place for Great Britain in the individual event at Rio 2016, after finishing third at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia.
Become an Olympic diving expert with our interactive infographic
Now he is focused on the synchronised event, in which half of the eight Rio 2016 spots have already been bagged: by China, Mexico and Russia, along with host nation Brazil.
Daley won a Rio 2016 place in the individual 10m event at the 2015 world championships (Photo:Getty Images/Matthias Hangst)
Other platforms
A celebrity in the UK, Daley’s talent in front of the cameras goes beyond his competition appearances. As well as trying his hand at modelling, he has also starred in two television programmes: Splash, a celebrity diving contest, and Tom Daley Goes Global, his own travel show.
©ITV
Publicado por Tom Daley em Sexta, 7 de fevereiro de 2014
He is also highly active on YouTube. On Tom Daley TV, as his channel on the website is known, the athlete has over 230,000 followers, and his videos have been watched almost 28 million times. Topics include details of his routine as an athlete, tips on a healthy lifestyle and revelations about his personal life. It was on his own channel that the athlete revealed that he was in a relationship with a man at the end of 2013, becoming an icon for the LGBT movement, and going on to be elected ‘Man of the Year’ by Attitude magazine.
Tom Daley out to embrace Carnival atmosphere of Rio 2016 Games
My next health and fitness hack @YouTube video is now live! "ONCE YOU GO BLACK..." Go check it out here... http://youtu.be/ik3p1FtSb6E
Publicado por Tom Daley em Quarta, 13 de janeiro de 2016
Daley took a bath in coffee beans in one of his videos to show the health benefits of the drink
This is not the first time that Daley has been to Rio. Last year, he came to the Cidade Maravilhosa with the British diving team for a period of acclimatisation. Besides visiting the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre, Daley and his pals visited some of the city’s most renowned sports, such as Christ the Redeemer and Copacabana beach – experiences that he shared in this video.
“I think the 2016 Games will capture the Carnival element of Brazil with lots of music and dancing. I’m expecting there to be a real buzz around the city”
Tom Daley
In total, 272 athletes from 49 countries will compete for 88 spots in the Rio 2016 Olympic diving competition at the FINA World Diving Cup from 19 to 24 February at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre. Tickets are on sale here.
