Paris, France, July 25, 2024: Great Britain’s diving star Tom Daley believes the Chinese divers are not invincible at the Olympic Games.
Well, the men’s team at least.
The 30-year-old Daley, who has one Olympic gold and three bronze medals in his career, describes China’s women’s team as “absolutely incredible” but thinks the men’s team are not guaranteed to sweep all the medals at Paris 2024.
At a World Aquatics press conference in the Main Press Centre on Thursday afternoon, Daley was asked for his views on China’s diving team.
“I mean, the Chinese diving team is the strongest diving nation, unquestionably,” he commented.
“On paper you would probably consider them to win every single event - but it’s the Olympic Games and I know that every single one of the Chinese divers knows that it is their competition to lose, which brings a lot of pressure, a lot of expectation.
“I think you go into a competition with a different mindset if you know that you could and should win, so I think the rest of the world is very much on China’s heels to be ready to challenge them.”
Daley, who won gold in the men’s 10m synchro at Tokyo 2020 with Matty Lee, added: “I think in certain events they are more beatable than others. The women are absolutely incredible and I can’t imagine that they will let go of any medals, but in the men’s diving I think it is possible to try and make it so they don’t get an eight gold medal sweep.
“I think that is an achievement for the rest of the world - if anyone is able to break their eight gold medals.
“Last time, we took away one of their gold medals in the 10m synchro; the time before that in Rio, GB also took it away in the men’s 3m synchro, and the same for the men’s 3m and 10m in London.
“So it’s possible. It’s always going to be tough, but diving is such an on-the-day sport and, in the synchro events, they are straight finals, so on Monday it comes down to six dives - who can do the best in the 45 minutes, we will find out. It’s quite intense.”