Daley 'has transcended diving' - Williams

Noah Williams says Tom Daley "has transcended diving", pursuing nan five-time Olympic medallist's determination to retire from nan sport. , external

Williams, 24, won a metallic badge alongside 30-year-old Daley successful nan men's synchronised 10m level successful Paris past month.

Daley first competed successful nan 2008 Games astatine nan property of 14 and won bronze successful London 2012 and successful Tokyo successful 2021 successful nan 10m platform, arsenic good arsenic bronze successful nan men's synchronised 10m level successful Rio 2016.

"He is virtually an icon of nan Olympics for Team GB," Williams told 5 Live Breakfast.

Daley took 2 years retired of diving pursuing nan Tokyo Olympics but he was persuaded to return to nan excavation by his boy Robbie, now aged six.

He has been a vocal protagonist for LGBTQ+ authorities successful athletics and astatine nan Commonwealth Games successful 2022, Daley utilized his power to item nan difficulties openly cheery athletes from countries wherever homosexuality is forbidden face.

"He’s a monolithic activistic for nan cheery community; he helps truthful galore communities massively and has inspired truthful galore group to return up not conscionable diving, but athletics successful general," said Williams.

"He is nan 1 personification who has transcended diving successful my opinion.

"I will miss him successful training but I’m judge everyone will miss him competing and being around."

Williams arrived location from Paris pinch 2 medals: his metallic pinch Daley and an individual bronze successful nan men's 10m platform.

As for what nan early holds for nan British diver, he says he will beryllium taking immoderate clip to fig retired his plans.

"The adjacent six months are going to beryllium a batch much chilled," he said. "Well, I opportunity chilled, I'm still doing a batch of fittingness and activity, but little diving, because I'm not judge what I'm going to do, is nan truth.

"I don't wan't to dive conscionable because I'm bully astatine it, because it does return a batch of intelligence energy, a large toll connected you.

"I don't want to kick and opportunity travelling because I emotion travelling and competing, but being distant from family and friends a batch of nan year, that worldly is genuinely rather hard."

With nan adjacent Olympic Games taking spot successful Los Angeles successful 2028, Williams says he is besides assessing whether property whitethorn play a facet successful his determination to spell done different Olympic cycle.

"I saw a batch of group saying, 'Tom's retiring? But he's only 30', but I don't deliberation they realise that 30 is really aged successful nan world of diving, he said.

"That why, erstwhile he took 2 years retired aft Tokyo, no-one was peculiarly shocked.

"Even though I'm 24, I'm not acold disconnected being excessively aged to dive - which seems crazy."