Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
Tom Daley
- Thread starter stss30
- Start date
Mendoza
NSC's Most Stalked
everyone seems to be forgetting he is in the sync diving, which means the other guy, which no one knows the name of, has to perform too if he is to win a medal.
The poor kid has so much pressure on him to perform, the most pressure ever seen since the 14 year old girl in the mini skirt at WImbledon
The poor kid has so much pressure on him to perform, the most pressure ever seen since the 14 year old girl in the mini skirt at WImbledon
- Thread starter
- #3
Yeah, but I think that their only doing simple dives (for Tom) and the other guy is more experienced
Beijing Olympics: Tom Daley at home in company of stars - Olympics - Telegraph
Now at least I know the other guy's name
How did that Russian dive, the first one, rate above the UK one? Their synchronization was rubbish, entering the water at different times.
ben andrews' girlfriend
Nurse Laura
I'm awake for him!!
Come on Tom!!!!
Come on Tom!!!!
Twinkle Toes
Growing old disgracefully
I've crawled out of my pit for this too. Can't work this judging biz out: a bit of 'favouritism' coming to the fore perhaps.. ? 
From the commentary it seems to be a "make the least splash" competition, the synchronization seems to be secondary.
ben andrews' girlfriend
Nurse Laura
Bottom of the leaderboard at the moment- seem to have wimped out of a 3.8 difficulty at the end too.
It's amazing how you (well, me, actually) can quickly become an expert in a sport you (well, me) have never really seen before.
Fantastic commentary...
"Here come the Germans, we've heard that before somewhere"
"Here come the Germans, we've heard that before somewhere"
ben andrews' girlfriend
Nurse Laura
I know what you mean!! I get very good at rowing during the olympics.
Whoever that first judge is i'm going to HUNT THEM DOWN!!!! Every mark by them is loads lower than everyone else!
Twinkle Toes
Growing old disgracefully
I don't think young Tom can quite perform those uber-high tariff dives yet. Decent dive by them just now though (not that the actual 'dive' seems to count for much mind).
Twinkle Toes
Growing old disgracefully
I tell you what, I would LOVE IT if whatever pair was last just before the final dive thought: 'f*** this, let's end with the flying bomb' 
Twinkle Toes
Growing old disgracefully
The 'flying bomb' should've been performed by Aldridge & Daley then
eastlondonseagull
Well-known member
I interviewed him a month or so ago up in London, and he's a lovely lad, head screwed on and pretty grounded considering the media hysteria.
I really hope that he doesn't get caned by the press / pseudo Olympic experts, 'cos he deserves to do well in the future. These kids do not have normal lives, it's constant training, so they're sacrificing a lot.
.
I really hope that he doesn't get caned by the press / pseudo Olympic experts, 'cos he deserves to do well in the future. These kids do not have normal lives, it's constant training, so they're sacrificing a lot.
.
We were making the same comment, last night, while watching the ladies 3m event.
I promise you me and Wifey had a better understanding than all the judges, put together.
Fourteenth Eye
Face for Radio
This will be a classic example of the build them up & knock them down technique so beloved of or english media.
He will be living in a crack den by 2012
He will be living in a crack den by 2012
¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤
Banned
Pics?
Storer68
New member
Blame game already starting
Only a few minutes after the results showed that Tom Daley, the youngest competitor in the 2008 Olympic Games, and Blake Aldridge had finished eighth and last in today's 10m synchronised diving final, a crack appeared in the shiny, happy surface of a collaboration that had always looked dangerously lopsided.
In Aldridge's view, they failed to achieve the medal that lay within their grasp because Beijing's most photographed 14-year-old had suffered an attack of nerves that reached a climax in a spat between the two before the last of their six dives.
While Daley prattled cheerfully into a thicket of microphones, exuding undimmed optimism and exercising his precocious talent for delivering carefully coached soundbites, the 26-year-old Aldridge stood beside his partner in the silent mode he has been required to adopt for most of the past few months. His grim smile seemed to say, "Not much more of this, thank God." But the look on his face also suggested that there was something more on his mind, and it only took a couple of questions to get it out.
"It's a synchro team, there's two of us, and that's the hard thing about it," Aldridge said. "Both of you have to be on your game at the same time and that just didn't happen today. Thomas is 14 years old. He's done phenomenally and for me to be a part of a partnership with him is a great thing. I knew, going into this Olympic Games, that we were capable of a medal, but I also knew that it depended on how Tom performed. I wasn't on the top of my game, but I out-dived Thomas today and that's not something that normally happens. That to me is because he had a lot more pressure on him than I did.
"I'm not disappointed with my performance. I wasn't at my best but I landed on my head with every single dive, which was my aim. But it was hard work for me today. Tom was very nervous, more so than ever before. I think he really struggled to get through the competition, and as his partner it was hard for me to get up there and try and ease him into it. Unfortunately for me, it didn't work today.
"He had a pop at me before the last dive, when we were sitting down. I saw my mum in the audience and I asked her to give me a call and Tom went to me, 'Why are you on the phone? We're still in the competition and we've got another dive to do.' That's just Thomas - he's over-nervous and that's how it was today. Thomas should not be worrying about what I'm doing, but today he was worrying about everyone and everything and that to me is really the sole reason why he didn't perform today."
Daley can look forward to mounting further challenges to the Chinese, German and Russian teams who took the medals, with London 2012 as the prime target. "I was quite disappointed," the schoolboy said of today's outcome, "but it was a great experience and I really enjoyed myself. I had so much fun out there. That's all you can ask, getting the experience. We just had a bad day. I tried to not make it feel different but there was lots of pressure on me and I was very nervous. It was there for the taking but it wasn't my day today. Now I'm looking at 2012, like I've always said."
For Aldridge, by contrast, the opportunity of glory disappeared for good when they failed to get the marks they felt they deserved for their opening dives. They had been in the bronze medal position after their first effort but a mark six out of 10 from one of the execution judges for their third dive, an inward three-and-a-half somersault, took the wind from their sails. They lost cohesion and were unable to recover as the dives became progressively more demanding.
While Daley goes on to compete in the individual 10m platform event in 10 days' time, Aldridge will be on his way back home to Southampton. "Tom's lucky that he has got another chance," he concluded, "and I hope he takes a lot of experience from this and that it stands him in good stead. Unfortunately I don't have another chance."