Figueiredo clings onto dreams of a return for Daley

THE woman who coached Tom Daley to Olympic gold says she is daring to dream about the retired diver making a comeback at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

- RACHEL STEINBERG

Jane Figueiredo was on Monday crowned the female recipient of the International Olympic Committee Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award for an incredible career spanning several continents.

Plymothian Daley, 30, announced his retirement after collecting 10m synchro silver alongside Noah Williams at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but Figueiredo who can claim some credit for inspiring the athlete's famous knitting hobby - is willing to leave the door ajar.

"He had a retirement party, and I know he's announced it, but, look, dreams I hang onto," she said. "He's the most wonderful thing out there for our sport, so we can at least dream about it.

"When I found out he was retiring, I said, 'Tom, although you're telling everybody you're retired, people come out of retirement every day! "He's already 30 and going into Paris, we were already dealing with some injuries, so I don't know.

"We're hoping they might add the team event to the programme, and there isn't anybody better that could lead Team GB than Tom Daley.

"Tom Daley is the world of diving, to be clear, and his absence is very, very much felt in the world." When Zimbabwe-born Figueiredo competed for Portugal at the Los Angeles Games in 1984, just 23 per cent of the athletes were women.