Tom Daley, Jack Laugher Amongst GB Divers Heading For Tokyo

Courtesy: British Swimming

Tom Daley and Jack Laugher are named in a phenomenally strong 12-person diving squad heading to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in less than two months’ time.

After a terrific performance at the FINA Diving World Cup in the Japanese capital last month – a competition that also doubled up as the Olympic test event – Team GB will be represented by a full complement of divers in every single event, after the four remaining places were secured.

Laugher, reigning Olympic champion in the Men’s 3m Synchro, is one of the household names selected, and he heads to Japan to defend that crown. He will also target a second Olympic medal in the individual 3m Springboard event, after taking silver in that competition five years ago.

Laugher will be joined in the synchro by Rio 2016 bronze medallist Daniel Goodfellow, with Edinburgh’s James Heatly the other pick in the 3m individual.

Daley will once again double up in Tokyo, contesting both the 10m Platform and 10m Synchro events, the latter of which he won Olympic bronze in alongside Goodfellow in Rio. Now diving with Matty Lee in the synchro event, the Jane Figueiredo-coached duo will head to Japan full of confidence, after winning both the World Cup and European Championship titles last month.

Dive London athlete Daley also famously took bronze in the individual event at London 2012, and will look for further Olympic success in Tokyo – he also has two World titles to his name in that 10m Platform event. Joining him from the high board in the individual contest will be Noah Williams, whilst Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson will go in the women’s event, with Toulson partnered by Eden Cheng in the synchro.

Grace Reid, Kat Torrance and Scarlett Mew Jensen round out the diving dozen, Reid contesting both the Women’s 3m Springboard and 3m Synchro, with Mew Jensen joining her in the former and City of Leeds’ Torrance in the latter.

Of the team heading for Tokyo, Team GB Chef de Mission, Mark England, said: “It is a huge privilege to be able to welcome this talented group of athletes onto Team GB for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“The performances we’ve consistently seen from these athletes throughout the recent World Cup and European competitions is testament to the hard work and dedication that the whole team has put in throughout what has been a very challenging year. Everyone who supports Team GB will be buoyed by what this team has achieved in recent weeks and will have every confidence that we will see more of these medal-winning performances in Tokyo.

“Congratulations everyone and we look forward to welcoming you to Tokyo in July.”

British Diving Performance Director, Alexei Evangulov, added:

“This has been the longest Olympic cycle ever, however the hardest part of it was the last year – our team exceeded all my expectation in terms of coping with all the challenges we experienced during the pandemic. There were a lot; pool closures, isolation, quarantine, uncertainness, competitions postponements, you name it. Our divers not only managed to secure their physical and technical shape in this situation, but also significantly improved their diving quality.

“All of this, plus our coaches and staff’s professionalism allowed us to come up to the homestretch to Tokyo with a great confidence, high ambitions and belief.”

Great Britain diving team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games:

• Eden Cheng, London, Crystal Palace Diving
• Thomas Daley, Plymouth, Dive London
• Daniel Goodfellow, Cambridge, City of Leeds
• James Heatly, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Diving Club
• Jack Laugher, Harrogate, City of Leeds
• Matty Lee, Leeds, Dive London
• Scarlett Mew Jensen, London, Dive London
• Grace Reid, Edinburgh, Dive London
• Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, London, Crystal Palace Diving
• Katherine Torrance, Leeds, City of Leeds
• Lois Toulson, Leeds, City of Leeds
• Noah Williams, London, Dive London