- Tom Daley has qualified for his fifth Olympic Games in the synchronized 10 meter platform
- The 29-year-old and new teammate Noah Williams finished second in Doha.
- It was Daley’s first time competing internationally with Williams.
Tom Daley declared “mission accomplished” after qualifying for his fifth Olympic Games with a silver medal at the World Swimming Championships on Thursday night.
The 29-year-old and new partner Noah Williams finished second behind Chinese duo Yang Hao and Lian Junjie in the synchronized 10m platform in Doha to seal Team GB’s place at the Paris 2024 event.
It was Daley’s first time competing internationally with Williams, having taken a two-year break from diving following her gold medal at Tokyo 2020 alongside Matty Lee.
And the four-time Olympic medalist said: ‘We are super happy. I was terrified when I woke up this morning, but once I got into the competition and being with Noah, I relaxed a little.
“We knew we had to try to qualify for the Olympic Games, and we achieved it.
Tom Daley and his new partner Noah Williams claim silver at the World Aquatics Championships
The 29-year-old wears a Pride towel to support LGBT+ rights during the event in Qatar
‘That is the mission accomplished so far. Now it’s all about staying fit and healthy to get to the start line. The real work begins now.”
Speaking about their new partnership, Williams, 23, added: “Obviously we haven’t trained much together, but I think it’s been quite natural for both of us.”
‘I just try to do the best I can by his side. He is obviously a great jumper, so the better he jumps, hopefully we can fight for gold.”
Daley only returned to the pool last summer, having initially planned to retire following her victory in Tokyo.
“It started out as one of those dumb ideas,” said Daley, father of two children, Robbie and Phoenix. And then I thought, “You know what? I’m going to go back to the pool and see how this goes.”
“It was really difficult to get back into it, everything hurt, I had problems and injuries and I had to train very smart.”
“But at the end of the day, it eventually comes back to you, and a big part of that is being able to stay positive and remember what really matters.”
“I got into this feeling like, ‘You know what? Whatever happens, tomorrow I’m going to have to go home and see my babies,’ and that’s what matters to me.”