When Tom Daley went to the Tokyo Olympics his motivation was clear: after two bronze medals, in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016, he was going for gold. In front of an empty stadium, he did it, winning the synchronised 10m platform with Matty Lee.
Standing at the side of the pool of the London Aquatics Centre, a few days before setting off for Paris, the diver explains that this time around things are a little different.
"I have won an Olympic gold medal," he says. "For me, the Olympic gold medal this time is having my kids there to watch. That's really the thing I'm looking forward to most."
In the stands in Paris will be Daley's screenwriter husband, Dustin Lance Black, whom he married in 2017, and their two sons, six-year-old Robbie and Phoenix Rose, who turned one in April. They will be there to witness Daley become the first British diver to compete at a fifth Olympics - in the synchro with the 24-year-old Noah Williams - after starting as a 14-year-old in Beijing in 2008.
Now the senior citizen of the 11-strong Team GB diving team, he still looks at least a decade younger than his 30 years, but admits his body tells a different story. These days he wakes up sore and needs "a lot more machinery to help", including a special pair of heated trousers he wears to the pool.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 18, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 18, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Díaz doubles up to ensure a perfect start to Slot's reign
It was difficult to imagine a more perfect afternoon for Arne Slot - or a more harrowing one for Erik ten Hag who, just three games into the Premier League season, is back in familiar territory; the vultures circling, his credentials as the Manchester United manager under yet more scrutiny.
Atkinson strikes again as England sweep to series win
There was not a great deal of encouragement from the Lord's pitch and a thin crowd made for a slightly sleepy Sunday.
Cox gets her golden redemption to seal GB cycling's medal rush
There were three gold medals for Britain on a triumphant day at the velodrome, starting with a gold and silver in the men's B1,000m time trial and finishing with gold for Kadeena Cox in the C1-5 750m team sprint.
Germany Has economic giant of Europe now run out of road?
Sir Keir Starmer is not the first Labour leader to hanker after a closer relationship between Britain and Germany.
Tougher levies on North Sea profits risk loss of £12bn in taxes, say firms
The North Sea industry has warned the government not to toughen its windfall tax on oil and gas profits in the autumn budget, claiming it risks losing £12bn in tax receipts and jeopardising 35,000 jobs.
Norway halts outdoor tourism campaign over environmental fears
A Norwegian tourism campaign aimed at promoting the country as a destination for outdoor activities has been suspended after warnings that opening up the country's \"right to roam\" laws to mass tourism could lead to environmental destruction.
Capitol Hill women Taking on Trump - and changing the face of US politics
The halls of the US Congress were, for many years, a man's world.
Afghan women sing in protest over Taliban laws banning their voices
Afghan women, both inside and outside the country, have posted online videos of themselves singing in protest at the Taliban's new laws banning women's voices in public.
Ukrainian drones hit power plants deep in Russia
Ukraine has carried out one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia yet, with videos showing a series of explosions and fires at power stations and refineries, including in Moscow.
'Dangerous lottery' Evacuation plans for vulnerable 'inconsistent'
Firefighter, disability and Grenfell groups have criticised the existence of a \"dangerous postcode lottery\" as data revealed an \"inconsistent rollout\" of emergency evacuation plans for vulnerable people across London.