Tom Daley finally wins Olympic gold as he and Matty Lee pull off brilliant 10m synchro diving win at Tokyo 2020
TOM Daley finally got the Olympic gold he has craved with a brilliant performance to dethrone the Chinese defending champions.
Daley had won bronze synchro medals at London and Rio but never been able to get on the top of the podium.
But alongside new partner Matty Lee, the Brit pair put in a stunning show, clinching their title with a superb final round gamble.
Daley and Lee risked everything with the toughest dive in the sport, a forward four and half somersault with a 3.7 degree of difficulty.
And they absolutely nailed it, the GB team roaring and their coaches hugging each other on the side of the pool.
Daley and Lee scored 101.01, for a total of 471.81.
It meant Chinese Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen had to be effectively beyond perfect, a feat too far even for the pair who have dominated the sport.
As the score of 101.52 flashed up, not quite enough, Daley jumped into Lee’s arms, a mixture of joy and disbelief.
There were tears, and rightly so, with defending springboard champ Jack Laugher among those rushing down to embrace the new champions.
Daley had predicted before heading to Japan that it would be a two-horse race with China and from the very first dive that looked like being the case.
The Chinese pair made barely a ripple as they took a narrow lead after the initial dive and extended it to just over four points with a brilliant second effort.
But it was always going to be about the four optional dives, offering both a higher degree of difficulty and far greater risk.
Daley and Lee lost ground in round three, Lee rotating slightly too far, allowing the Chinese to extend their advantage to 15 points.
Not insurmountable but it meant the pressure was on.
Round four saw GB throw down the gauntlet with a back three and a half somersault with pike, with a 3.6 degree of difficulty, earning 93.96 points – and the Chinese cracked, making a real mess of the same dive.
BETTING SPECIAL –
The muted response of their poolside team-mates showed the holders had got it wrong, with GB ahead by six points with two rounds to go.
China responded, cutting the gap to less than two points with one to go after both pairs hit the mark.
But when it mattered, more than ever before, Daley and Lee delivered to turn the Olympic dream into glorious reality.
After receiving his gold, Daley said: “To finally have this gold medal around my neck after so many.
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“I have been diving for 20 years and this is my fourth Olympics.
“Lots of people would’ve counted me out of this Olympics being the older person, but I’m in the best shape coming into this competition.
“The way we’ve been preparing, we’ve had an unstoppable mentality this year and it’s the first time we’ve really been able to think like that ‘we are the ones to beat and they’ve got to come and get us’.
“I still can’t believe what’s happening and i didn’t think I was going to get here in the first place, but here we are.
“That moment about to be announced as Olympic champions and to hear the national anthem play. I was gone. I couldn’t even sing. I was blubbering. I can’t believe it.
“I’m so proud of Matt for holding it together. I felt i was going to crumble at a lot of points but he was in the zone. I felt everything was falling into place.”
