Tom Daley Diving: Crushing Rio Defeat Has Brit 'Heartbroken', Will He Try For Tokyo 2020?
Tom Daley, London's 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, crumpled under the pressure during Saturday's 10m diving semi-finals.
Daley, 22, took third for Great Britain four years ago, but the young athlete couldn't provide a repeat performance in Rio. Following a stellar performance in the preliminary round, the diver faltered on Saturday afternoon, ultimately landing in 18th place. A lackluster final dive knocked Daley out of contention for the finals, allowing China's Chen Aisen (gold), Mexico's German Sanchez (silver), and America's David Boudia (bronze) their moment on the podium.
"I'm in shock right now. I'm the only one who could challenge the Chinese for that gold medal. In the Olympics, you can get your dreams crushed," Daley said in the aftermath of his elimination, according to Daily Mail. "I've been feeling really, really good. In training, everything has been going really well. Right now it's just kind of heartbreaking to think that it just didn't happen for me today."
Don't for a moment think this setback will keep Daley down, however. With three Olympics under his belt, the Brit is ready to head back to training. He has Tokyo 2020 in his sights.
"I want to be the men's 10-meter platform Olympic champion," Daley enthused. "This has definitely given me a massive boost of motivation to want to get up there."
It's that level of determination, that ability to pickup in the wake of crushing defeat, that separates an Olympian from their peers. Daley, meanwhile, won't leave Rio empty handed. Along with Dan Goodfellow, Daley will bring home a bronze medal for the Men's Synchronized 10m Platform.
