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Tom Daley wins silver to complete set of Olympic medals — and is then soaked in fruit juice by son
A fifth Olympic Games, a fifth medal and, most importantly for Tom Daley, comeback complete in front of his two children.
After a gold and three previous bronze medals across Daley’s now 16-year Olympic diving career, this was the first piece of silver and it sounded for all the world like the most precious addition of all.
“It felt like we had won just being there with my family and my kids,” said Daley. “Just before the competition started, I saw them in the audience and thought, ‘Don’t cry now’. That was the achievement and, at that moment, I was, ‘No matter what happens, I’ve done it’. I was on the sofa 15 months ago doing nothing. It is the happiest I’ve ever been diving. It was so special.”
Daley was all smiles once the medal had been secured and it was instead his husband, the screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who was reduced to tears by the enormity of a unique achievement. “For these guys [children six-year-old Robbie and one-year-old Phoenix] them getting to see him dive was so special … what a day… very moving for the family because we see the hard work and dedication that goes into making it look effortless,” said Black.
Robbie, who was the inspiration for the retirement about-turn, was most excited to hear that there was a piece of the Eiffel Tower in his dad’s silver medal while Phoenix, who was taking a swig of blackcurrant squash during the celebrations, did what toddlers do. “They were standing right above the [media] mixed zone when we were doing our interviews – Phoenix did throw his juice at me,” said Daley. “He was, ‘Papa!’. It nearly took out one of the BBC reporters.”
Daley also highlighted how Black, with whom he lives in Los Angeles, had made it possible by putting his own Hollywood career to one side so that he could return to regular competition this year in preparation for the Olympics. “The people who are closest to an Olympic athlete do not get enough credit for how much they have to sacrifice,” said Daley. “He has a successful career of his own that he is constantly putting to one side so that I can achieve my goals.”
Given where Daley was last year – new life in LA and having not dived seriously since Olympic gold in Tokyo two years earlier – this was up there with being Beijing’s youngest Olympian way back in 2008 in the personal realm of unlikely triumphs.
Noah Williams, after all, is now the fifth different diver with whom Daley has won a major championship medal and the first with whom he has had to form a virtually remote partnership.
Daley later also revealed how the comeback might easily have ended before it got started at the World Championship exactly a year ago when Williams and Matty Lee – Daley’s partner in Tokyo – finished fourth. “I was told, ‘Don’t come back if Matty and Noah win a medal at the World Championships’,” he said. “I would have been back in LA in the sun. There would have been none of it. But they didn’t [win a medal]. I was, ‘OK, I’ll try.’”
Injury to Lee then made the decision for everybody and so a partnership was formed with Williams that, by Daley’s admission, involved ‘winging it’ and only two months of actual training together. Even an attempt by Williams to spend time in LA, where he stayed with the Daley family, was foiled after Williams suffered a shoulder injury. “Tom was great as a host,” Williams said. “Staying with his family, getting to know Robbie and Phoenix was great, but, in terms of training, we didn’t do much. I was pretty injured. I got there and basically had a holiday.”
And yet here they were, diving with consistency and synergy to put together a series that tracked almost identically in judges’ scores to what Daley and Lee had managed in taking gold three years ago.
“Our tactic was to focus on good individual dives,” said Daley. “That’s the beauty of synchro – it comes down to saying, ‘one, two, three, go’ and doing your dive. Once you leave the platform, you are in gravity and can’t change anything. I don’t think we said more than two words to each other.”
It worked; the only problem was that the Chinese pair Lian Junjie and Yang Hao were utterly flawless, both in their synchronisation and the execution of six dives that barely raised a splash.
In Tokyo, the Chinese had made a decisive mistake in the fourth round – losing more than 20 points with one misjudgment – to ultimately finish second by just 1.21 points. There would be no such mistakes here, with Daley and Williams finishing on a score of 463.44 – the best on their comeback and just behind the 471.81 that Daley and Lee achieved in Tokyo – to secure the second British diving medal of these Games.
Daley, who is not competing in the individual events, will be 34 by the time of the next Olympics but has already hinted at continuing for a sixth Games in LA when a mixed team event could be added to the programme. “I went from being the youngest in 2008 to now the oldest,” he said. “It could be the chance to do a second home Olympic games but I want to enjoy this moment now and make decisions later on.”
Daley and Williams win silver – as it happened
11:38 AM BST
‘An amazing accomplishment’
11:35 AM BST
Another medal for Team GB
Tom Daley speaking to the BBC:
It’s just so special. This time last year deciding to come back, never mind not knowing if I would make the synchro team. Doing it in front of my son who asked me to come back is so special I now have one of every colour. I’ve completed the set.
On diving in front of his sons:
He’s (Robbie) six years old and I hope he will remember some of it. He will be able to touch some of Eiffel Tower.
On diving partner Noah Williams:
I’ve never seen Noah cry in my whole life, I know how much today mean’s him. It is very sad Dave is not hear, but I know Dave and my dad would both be so proud to see us here today.
On his comeback from retirement:
As an athlete, you know to train smarter. You have to prioritise things in your life, not just diving. I was getting emotional just getting prepared for this. My husband has really been there, he’s taken the kids allowing me to travel when I have needed to. A happy athlete is a successful one.
On whether this was his last Olympics:
I don’t know. We will enjoy today and see what the future holds. Right now, I will just go and enjoy time with my little ones.
11:33 AM BST
Silver for Daley
11:32 AM BST
On the podium
11:31 AM BST
Support from family and friends
11:28 AM BST
‘They did us proud’
Scarlett Mew Jensen, who won a bronze medal in dramatic circumstances in the women’s 3m synchro alongside Yasmin Harper on Saturday, has been speaking to the BBC after Daley and Williams secured silver:
That was incredible, the boys did so well and did us proud. For Noah [Williams] to step up like that has been incredible. To come in late like that. He’s done amazing.
If it is the end, he [Daley] has gone out with a bang. The next one is in LA, his home place. He has shown that he is just insanely talented and he can take as long as he wants out and come back and deliver that. It’s just inspirational and it’s incredible to be a part of the team that he is on.
11:23 AM BST
An emotional Jane Figueiredo, the duo’s coach, speaking to the BBC
Excited, fearless, just over the moon for both of them. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes for both of them, to come and achieve a silver medal is absolutely brilliant. China was just too good. We hung in there, but it was brilliant.
I am their coach, so I think they should be better. The games or any of the events, you have to be consistently and emotionally detached. You have to be focused, just execute the skill and everything is outside of that. They just executed today.
For Tom and I, it is like old turkey. We’ve been on this rodeo. It is Noah’s first medal, he lost his beautiful, wonderful coach a few years ago. David Jenkins set him up, I took him the rest of the way. Noah was exceptional today.
It is an emotional thing, it’s not just Xs and Os, it’s three of us with a whole team around us with an amazing London aquatics venue.
11:21 AM BST
Silver for GB
Tom Daley and Noah Williams step onto the second step of the podium with their families and friends cheering them on. They have received great support from the crowd this morning. This is Daley’s fifth Olympics medal, Williams’ first.
11:19 AM BST
Medal time
The three teams on the podium; China, Great Britain and Canada, have made their way out for the medal ceremony. Tom Daley and Noah Williams will be getting their hands on their silver medals in just a few moments.
11:18 AM BST
Show some love for your coach
Jane Figueiredo has been by Tom Daley’s side for so much of his success as his coach and she will be so proud of Daley, who has now won five Olympic medals.
11:14 AM BST
‘Truly deserved’
Safe to say Commonwealth silver medallist diver Tonia Couch absolutely loved that in the BBC studios and has been paying tribute to the GB duo:
Tom Daley is actually a robot. He knows what he’s doing. The pressure on Noah must have been horrendous, I feel so proud of Noah and he should be so, so proud of himself. I don’t think I would’ve been able to deal with it. He was so cool. It was truly deserved today.
They did the practice beforehand, they’ve done about two months together, but the real thing here is the friendship. They get on together so well and that is the thing with this partnership. Consistency is key with the diving, as we saw yesterday with the Australians, every dive counts. The fact they held it together [is impressive].
They kept the Chinese on their toes, China were further in front but they kept them on their toes. Noah’s coach passed away in 2021 and I think that medal was for him today. Every single diver on their last dive held it together, the pressure was on those guys and they nailed it.
11:11 AM BST
Sensational from China
11:08 AM BST
Final standings
Junjie Lian and Hao Yang (China) 490.35
Tom Daley and Noah Williams (Great Britain) 463.44
Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens (Canada) 422.13
Randal Willars Valdez and Kevin Berlin Reyes (Mexico) 418.65
Kirill Boliukh and Oleksii Sereda (Ukraine) 412.65
Cassiel Rousseau and Dominic Bedggood (Australia) 394.74
Timo Barthel and Jaden Siloh Eikermann Gregorchuk (Germany) 364.41
Gary Hunt and Lois Szymczak (France) 314.58
11:05 AM BST
Five Olympics, five medals
Tom Daley has now won his fifth medal at the Olympics; one gold, this silver and three bronzes. Him and Noah Williams really could not have done any more as the Chinese duo were almost perfect.
11:02 AM BST
China take gold, GB silver
It has been a clinic from this duo. They have delivered a masterclass in synchronised diving, despite Daley and Williams being incredible in their own right. Lian and Yang score 103.23 to finish on 490.35. That is quite something. Chapeau! China take gold, GB silver, Canada bronze.
Daley and Williams deliver Team GB’s fifth medal of the Games; three silvers, too bronzes.
11:00 AM BST
Brilliant from Team GB
Daley and Williams have been fantastic throughout this final and they deliver another top dive. I am not sure they could do any more. They would have snapped your hand off before the final for that performance. A 93.24 takes GB to 463.44. Over to you Lian and Yang...
10:58 AM BST
GB’s final dive
Mexico come close to overtaking Canada on the last dive but they just fall short, much to the delight of Zsombor-Murray and Wiens. Canada are guaranteed at least a bronze.
Here come Daley and Williams for their last dive. They need just a score of 53 to take silver but they will want to put the pressure on the Chinese duo. Their final dive is a Forward 4½ Somersaults in the tuck position, which is a 3.7 in difficulty, their hardest dive in this final.
10:53 AM BST
Final Canadian dive
Zsombor-Murray and Wiens sit in the bronze medal position going into this final round and they deliver a solid dive which may be enough to secure that bronze. It is a 79.68 which takes them to 422.13. That should be enough for bronze.
10:50 AM BST
China still out in front with one round left
Another dive in the 90’s from Lian and Yang as their fifth dive is awarded a 91.80. They lead by 17 points with one dive left but, as we know from the Australian women just the other day, anything can happen with that final dive which gave GB their first medal of these Games.
Standings after round five:
Junjie Lian and Hao Yang (China) 387.12
Tom Daley and Noah Williams (Great Britain) 370.02
Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens (Canada) 342.25
“Daley took a big chest-raising breath before that fifth dive, first time here he has reminded me of the nervous-looking boy he was when we first saw him in 2008. No mistake though, and silver looking good here provided there is no disaster on the final dive.
“Gold a distant dream, China now so far ahead they could recreate the old Peter Kay John Smith’s advert and still win. Actually, that should clearly be the bonus seventh dive in these competitions. A final bonus point awarded for team with the funniest dive.”
10:47 AM BST
Impressive again from GB
That has really consolidated Daley and Williams’ position in second place. They register a score of 87.72 to move to 370.20, more than 25 points clear of Canada. Once again, over to China.
10:46 AM BST
Four rounds done, two to go
Into the fifth round we go. Not the best dive from the Canadian duo, who only get 75.48 for their fifth dive to move to 342.45.
Daley and Williams have opted for the Reverse 3½ Somersaults dive in the tuck position. Here they come...
10:40 AM BST
China respond
Pressure, what pressure? Lian and Yang deliver yet another clinical display of diving with a 95.88 to go to 295.32, around 13 points clear of GB.
Standings after round four:
Junjie Lian and Hao Yang (China) 295.32
Tom Daley and Noah Williams (Great Britain) 282.48
Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens (Canada) 266.97
The Mexicans sit in fourth, over 10 points behind Canada.
10:37 AM BST
Stunning from GB
Another terrific dive from Daley and Williams, who register a sensational score of 93.96. What a dive! They now have over 15 points over the Canadian duo. Pressure onto China.
“Real delight from the GB coaches after that fourth dive, exultant hugs and high fives for a job well done. Stats guru Wilson tells me Daley now tracing ahead of his 2021 total.
“In person you can hear when a dive has gone well as well as see it. The “s” of the combined splashing sound should be in perfect unison and there have been a couple of occasions, both from the unfortunate French pair currently coming last, where there has been a clear gap between splashes one and two.
“Daley and Williams doing well on this front, although their synchronised shammy-dropping needs improvement, Daley’s rainbow hitting the ground nearly a full second before Williams’ pale blue.”
10:35 AM BST
Canada keep pressure on GB
Three more dives left for each team. The Canadian pair of Zsombor-Murray and Wiens land an 83.25 dive to move to 266.97. Over to Daley and Williams, who have opted for the Back 3½ Somersaults in the pike position.
10:30 AM BST
China strengthen their lead
Lian and Yang have made a very impressive start to this final as they secure an 85.44 to be on 199.44 after the third round. Their advantage over Team GB in second is just over 10 points. Standings after round three:
Junjie Lian and Hao Yang (China) 199.44
Tom Daley and Noah Williams (Great Britain) 188.52
Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens (Canada) 183.72
10:28 AM BST
Great dive from GB
That is a clinical dive from Daley and Williams, who deliver a great third dive of 83.52. GB are just under five points clear of Canada after that dive. Over to the Chinese...
10:27 AM BST
GB up next
Daley and Williams have opted for the Inward 3½ Somersaults for their third dive. Canada, who were level with GB after round two, registered a score of 78.72, which is good but not amazing. The Australian pair are around seven points behind Canada. Here come Daley and Williams...
10:20 AM BST
China flying
They won the World Championships convincingly earlier this year and they are in control already. A 57.60 score with their second round score gives them a nine-point lead. Here are the standings after round two:
Junjie Lian and Hao Yang (China) 114.00
Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens (Canada) 105.00
Tom Daley and Noah Williams (Great Britain) 105.00
“Already beginning to feel like this is a race for silver between GB and Canada, China disappearing over the horizon. Diving stats oracle Jeremy Wilson alongside me tells me that Daley is a couple of points behind where he was at the equivalent stage at Tokyo in 2021, and the only reason GB won on that occasion was a massive mistake from the Chinese team on their fourth dive, when Daley and Lee scored 20 more points. So there is hope, but it might require disaster for another team.”
10:18 AM BST
Good second dive for GB
Daley and Williams have tied the Canadian duo with exactly the same score of 51.60 so the two nations are on exactly the same score after two rounds.
10:16 AM BST
Canada going well
Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens registered 53.40 with their first dive and their second dive is 51.60. They have made a strong start to this final. They lead with Tom Daley and Noah Williams to come next with a Back 1½ Somersaults ½ Twist.
“Added drama here in the penalty shoot-out like dynamic in which Daley and Williams’ main rivals from China must dive after them each round. Much delight from the healthy British contingent as Daley and Williams take the lead after their first dive. It looked near-faultless to my (and let’s be clear here, non-expert) eyes but China’s response is appreciably more synchronised and superb marks follow.
“There is a potential gamble in the ordering of the British team’s final three dives. Daley and Williams’ fourth is rated at 3.6 on the difficulty scale, followed up by a 3.4 then concluding with a 3.7. China also finish with a 3.7 but work up to it incrementally, placing their 3.4 going before the 3.6. Potentially this might put pressure on the Chinese, as the higher difficulty dives bring the potential of higher scores, so if Daley and Williams nail their 3.6 they might take the lead. They’ll need to overtake Canada first, though.”
10:11 AM BST
China out in front
That is a sensational start from the World Champions from China as Junjie Lian and Hao Yang go top with 56.40. The French duo of Gary Hunt and Lois Szymczak are last on 48.00. Here are the top three after the first round:
Junjie Lian and Hao Yang (China) 56.40
Tom Daley and Noah Williams (Great Britain) 53.40
Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens (Canada) 53.40
“Chinese showing why they are favourites and world champions with virtually flawless first dive - the competition begins with the less complex dives and then moves on to the more technical ones, where Tom Daley’s greater flair is hoped to make a bigger impact.”
10:08 AM BST
Strong start for GB
Daley and Williams receive an amazing reception before they dive. Their opening dive will be an Inward 1½ Somersaults. Williams had a slightly shaky moment before they went but that is a clinical dive from the duo which will settle any nerves. They register a score of 53.40 to go top for the moment with the Chinese duo next, who are arguably the favourites for gold.
10:07 AM BST
Australia up first
We are under way with the duo of Cassiel Rousseau and Dominic Bedggood. They register a score of 51.00 with their first dive. The Canadian duo up next of Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens usurp the Australians with a score of 53.40.
It is a shaky start from the Ukraine duo of Kirill Boliukh and Oleksii Sereda, who register a 48.60. The Mexican pair Randal Willars Valdez and Kevin Berlin Reyes go third with 50.40. Timo Barthel and Jaden Siloh Eikermann Gregorchuk of Germany register a score of 49.80.
Here come Tom Daley and Noah Williams...
10:01 AM BST
China favourites
“Tom Daley and Noah Williams will dive sixth this month - they will be doing the same sequence of dives as when Tom Daley won gold with Matty Lee three years ago. Past form since Daley’s comeback in World Cup and World Championship events puts them second favourites behind the Chinese divers Junjie Lian and Hao Yang but the consensus in the diving world is that Daley is the one diver who the Chinese fear.
“Gentle warning from the Paris organisers: no flags to be laid over the ‘Paris 24’ logos. Plenty of union flags on show here, Tom Daley wanting his entire family to be present for his fifth Olympics. A highly unusual aspect of his comeback is that he has remained based in Los Angeles and so he and Noah Williams have largely only practiced together during and immediately before competitions over the past nine months.”
09:59 AM BST
The eight duos
Cassiel Rousseau and Dominic Bedggood (Australia)
Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens (Canada)
Kirill Boliukh and Oleksii Sereda (Ukraine)
Randal Willars Valdez and Kevin Berlin Reyes (Mexico)
Timo Barthel and Jaden Siloh Eikermann Gregorchuk (Germany)
Tom Daley and Noah Williams (Great Britain)
Junjie Lian and Hao Yang (China)
Gary Hunt and Lois Szymczak (France)
All eight teams have been presented to the crowd, with Daley and Williams receiving a great reception. We are ready for action.
“All fun and games here at the Aquatic Centre with a big screen karaoke singalong of Freed From Desire by Gala, although it was preceded by a stern announcement reminding spectators not to cover any Paris 2024 hoarding logos with their national flags. Good to have a clear demarcation around the fun.
“Ten minutes to go and at least half of the seats I can see are still empty. Surely the Parisian public are not turning their back on le diving? Hopefully the inclusion of hometown heroes will swell the crowd. Who doesn’t want to get behind Lois Szymczak and the very un-Frenchly named Gary Hunt?”
09:55 AM BST
Lee injured
One man who knows Tom Daley and Noah Williams well is Matty Lee, who misses these Games after surgery on his spine back in March. Lee won gold with Daley in Tokyo in this event and won Commonwealth gold and World Aquatics Championships silver with Williams. He is there to cheer the duo on.
09:52 AM BST
Daley’s accolades
Olympic champion (Tokyo 2020 alongside Matty Lee)
Four-time World Champion
Two-time junior World champion
Five-time European champion
Four-time Commenwealth champion
Daley will become the first British diver to compete at five Games, as Jeremy Wilson outlines.
09:51 AM BST
Relaxed Daley
Break out the knitting and the feigned knowledge about double pikes, it’s the men’s synchronised 10m platform diving final! You can pretend you’re interested in the fortunes of Canadian pair Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray if you like but we all know the real focus of British interest this morning is the team of Noah Williams and Tom Daley.
Interesting to witness the field going through their warm-ups and seeing how few of their practice dives are off the high platform they will be competing on, most choosing to limber up on the lower platform board, and plenty putting in time on the springboards too.
Daley looking relaxed, apart from some tinkering with proactive tape around his wrists and ankles. He has a fetching rainbow towel as his copilot this morning, and Williams of course, with whom he won World Championship silver in their first competition earlier this year.
09:46 AM BST
Can Daley secure back-to-back golds?
Good morning and welcome to coverage of the Men’s Synchronised 10m Platform where Tom Daley is aiming to win back-to-back gold medals for Team GB. Daley had the honour of being Great Britain’s flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony on Friday night along with Helen Glover. At Tokyo 2020, Daley won his first Olympic gold alongside Matty Lee, who misses the Games after surgery on a spinal injury in March, and is looking for gold again with Noah Williams. In their first competition in February, they won a world championship silver so can they go one medal better today? Lee has in fact partnered with Williams in recent years, winning Commonwealth gold and World Aquatics Championships silver together in 2022.
This is Daley’s fifth appearance at the Olympics, having made his debut aged 14 in Beijing in 2008, and he has four medals in the bag including that gold with Lee in Tokyo. His list of accolades is pretty impressive. Having become a world champion aged 15 in 2009, he has gone on to become an Olympic champion, four-time World Champion, two-time junior World champion, five-time European champion and four-time Commonwealth champion. Although Daley has huge Olympic experience, Williams does not. He has just one Olympic event under his belt in the Men’s 10m Platform, finishing 27th so he will be leaning on Daley’s experience to guide him through.
They are up against the formidable Chinese duo of Yang Hao and Lian Junjie, who claimed gold in this event at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha back in February, beating Daley and Williams by nearly 50 points. French hopes rest on their pair of Gary Hunt and Lois Szymczak. Hunt was born in London and raised in Leeds, before moving to France in 2010 and securing French citizenship in 2020. This is his Olympic debut aged 40, the first diver to make his Olympic debut aged 40 or older since Stockholm 1912.
Stay with us for all the coverage as Daley and Williams go for gold, with the action commencing at 10.00 (BST).
