Born: 21st May 1994
Home town: Plymouth
Lives with: Mum, Debbie and two brothers, Will and Ben
Sport: “I’m a diver not a swimmer!”
Club: Plymouth Diving Club
Study: Plymouth College
Diving trivia
Many divers start out as gymnasts. Tom started swimming at 3 and went straight into diving at 7.
At age 7 Tom’s diving career began after displaying incredible raw talent for the sport and a strong competitive instinct.
In June 2004 Tom made his competitive début and became the youngest ever under 18s Champion at the Nationals.
He hasn’t been beaten in his age group, at any National Championship event, ever since!
Diving trivia
Competitive diving developed from gymnastics in the 18th century and became an Olympic sport in 1904.
The Australian Youth Olympics in January 2007 welcomed Tom as part of Team GB’s young athletes group.
Now competing against elite world class peers, he continued to impress.
At age 13, still two years below the minimum age requirement for the Youth Olympics, Tom was given special dispensation to compete.
Despite what might have been a disadvantage he proved his ability by winning a Silver medal in the 10m Platform Synchro event and finished fourth in the individual competition.
Diving trivia
A diver taking off from the 10m platform hits the water at 30mph.
Tom’s progression in 2008 was phenomenal.
He began the year by qualifying for the Beijing Olympic Games. Securing his place by finishing seventh in the 10m Platform at the FINA World Cup.
Only a month later, at age 13, Tom became Britain’s youngest ever diving Gold medalist! By claiming the European men’s 10m Platform title in Eindhoven, with flawless dives in the forth and fifth rounds.
At the Beijing Olympic Games Tom made the final of both the 10m Platform and 10m Platform Sychro events.
Diving trivia
A dives level of difficulty is referred to as a numeric tariff. The tariff is multiplied by the judges marks to reach the final score.
In 2009 Tom was still too young to complete the weights programme necessary to learn higher tariff dives. So, he had to learn his current set to perfection, and he did!
Tom got back into the top medal positions at the Diving Grand Prix in Florida and at the World Championships in Rome.
A perfect 10s score in Florida and winning Gold ahead of the Olympic Champion in Rome proved his ability to compete in the senior circuit.
In 2009 Tom became the youngest ever British World Champion in any sport!
Diving trivia
Tom performs six different types of dive. Forward, Backward, Reverse, Inward, Twisting and Armstand.
At 16, like any other teenager, Tom’s GCSE’s were just around the corner. Despite having a rigorous training regime to stick to he still achieved A’s and A*’s in his exams.
Tom used the off season to start learning 4 new higher tariff dives. A triceps injury in the summer hampered plans to retain his European title but he came back in style at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Tom claimed a double Gold victory at the Commonwealth’s – in the 10m Platform and 10m Platform Sychro events, again beating the Olympic Champion to the top spot.
Diving trivia
Synchronised diving made its first Olympic appearance at the Sydney Games in 2000.
A sell out crowd in Sheffield, at the 2nd leg of the FINA World Series, cheered Tom and his syncrho partner Pete Waterfield to a Gold medal victory.
Tom continued to impress on the World Series tour as he claimed Silver in the 10m Platform during the final leg in Mexico. With a score of 562.80 he not only achieved a personal best but broke the British record!
Another year, another set of exams. With the rest of the countries teenagers Tom nervously awaited his results: an A-Level in Photography (A*) and AS-Levels in Spanish (A) and Maths (B).
Diving trivia
A 10m diver is in the air for less than three seconds – not long to impress the judges!
With the Olympic Games just around the corner Tom is putting all his efforts into getting ready for the competition.
Due to a thumb injury he was unable to compete at the Nationals but was there in the crowd cheering on the rest of Team GB.
The World Cup took place in the Olympic Park at the Aquatics Centre, giving everyone a chance to test out the new facilities before the main event in July.
Tom and synchro partner Pete Waterfield managed to get through the prelim round and finished in 7th place in the final.
Diving trivia
In 2008 Tom became the youngest ever British male Olympian.
