Paris 2024 Olympics: Tom Daley says “My Olympic Gold Medal this time is Having my Kids there to Watch”

Tom Daley’s journey from his Los Angeles home to London for the pre-Olympic training camp ahead of the Paris 2024 Games was a stark contrast to his experiences in the past four Olympics.

The British audience has watched Daley grow, first stepping onto the 10m diving platform at just 14 during the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

He secured an individual bronze medal at the London 2012 Games, which held special significance as it came only a year after his father passed away from brain cancer.

During the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, he secured a bronze medal in synchronized diving with Dan Goodfellow. Then, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, he achieved his long-awaited dream of winning a gold medal in synchro alongside Matty Lee.

He also earned a somewhat overlooked but still commendable bronze in the individual event in Japan, bringing his total to four Olympic medals at the age of 30.

However, as he prepares for this year’s Olympic Games, Daley resembles any other parent traveling with their children, despite his iconic status.

“I was worried how it was going to go,” said Daley with a smile to the multiple journalists he was speaking to on 17 July, just 12 days before competing at his fifth Olympic Games. “Luckily, it was a night flight, so Robbie, who travels all the time, was fine because he’s six now, so he’s a bit more like an adult. Phoenix, however, is very much the second child – wriggly, wants to climb everything, jump on everything. He was quiet but I had to like wrangle him the whole time.”

Daley, who will complete his Olympic journey on July 29 by competing in the men’s synchronized 10m platform event alongside Noah Williams—since Lee is sidelined with an injury—is feeling positive.

This year, he and Williams have achieved notable results, including a silver medal at the 2024 World Championships in Doha and a collection of medals (gold, silver, and bronze) from three World Cup series events.

Social media reveals Daley training at an outdoor pool in Los Angeles, where he resides with his husband Dustin Lance Black and their two children.

However, he frequently travels back to his cherished London and the Aquatics Centre from the 2012 Olympics where Team GB practices.

Given the extensive coverage about him, we wanted to give Daley a chance to express himself directly through a Q&A based on the interview, which has been lightly edited for conciseness and clarity.