Tom Daley has confirmed he has earned a quota spot for this summer's Olympic Games in Paris.
Daley has won four Olympic medals, including gold in the 10m men's synchro alongside Matty Lee at the Tokyo Games. The 29-year-old retired from diving after those Games, where he also won bronze in the men's 10m event.
But he was convinced to return for a fifth Olympics during a visit to the Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs last July. After rejoining Britain's elite diving group, he travelled to the World Championships in Qatar last week.
Alongside new partner Noah Williams, Daley won the silver medal in the 10m synchro event. The British pair had to finish in the top four to claim an Olympic quota place, which they achieved in stunning fashion.
Now Daley has revealed his delight at being vindicated for returning to diving after two years away. The Brit insisted he had worked "his butt off" to pull himself back into contention for another Olympic medal.
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"To qualify for the Olympics can be quite a stressful and complicated process. There are two opportunities: Top 3 at World Champs the year before the Olympics. Or Top 8 if the already qualified teams are in that top 8. (France gets a quota spot as host!)" Daley wrote on Instagram.
"Going into the World champs, we knew there would be 20+ teams fighting for those spots. It all comes down to 1 event. 6 dives. To make the Olympics…or Not! It is an extremely high pressure and high stakes situation. A situation that a year ago I would never have imagined being in.
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Daley and dive partner Noah Williams won silver in the men's 10m synchro at the World Championships to earn a quota place (Clive Rose/Getty Images)"Since coming back to the sport last summer, I’ve been working my butt off to make that dream a reality! Getting a silver medal and Olympic quota spot is just the first step in getting there. But excited for what is to come!"
Daley then paid tribute to husband Dustin Lance Black, dive partner Williams and coach Jane Figueiredo for their support in his journey back to the board. He added that many people in the background had gone unnoticed for their work.
"A huge thank you goes out to my wonderful husband Dustin for supporting me on this CRAZY journey! To Noah for putting up with my intensity going into competition," Daley wrote.
"To Jane Figueiredo for believing in me to do this again! To UCLA Diving for taking me in as an honorary team mate and getting me back to it! To @train4success20 for conditioning me to fitness!
"To @a2zelitehealth @corey_newton and @drkatejordan for putting me back together when I fall apart! To @hannahstoyel for being a sounding board. To @taraboening for watching what I eat.
"To my team @ymuentertainment @carverpr_ @creativeartistsagency for navigating this plot twist of a year! It really does take a village to make an Olympic athlete and often go unrecognised! But I appreciate each and every one of you for supporting me on this journey!"
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