Although it has been over a month since the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, English Olympic Diver Thomas “Tom” Daley has continued to gain fame and attention from teenagers across the world.
Daley is a 18 year old English diver who is specializes in the 10 metre platform event and currently a member of Plymouth Diving Club. He began diving at the age of seven and has made an impact in national and international competitions since he was nine, such as placing first in the British Championships and FINA Diving World Series. Some other notable competitions include FINA World Championships and the Commonwealth Games, all where he have placed third or higher.
Daley represented Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics where he was Britain’s youngest competitor and the youngest competitor of any nationality outside the sport of swimming to participate in a final. He placed seventh in the individual 10 meter dive competition.
In the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Daley competed in the individual 10 meter platform and 10 meter mens’ synchronized platform. Daley and his partner Peter Waterfield were not able to secure third place and placed fourth with a total of 454.65 points. However, Daley won a bronze medal in the individual 10 meter platform event with a score of 556.95 points, just behind China’s defending champion Qiu Bo.
This month, Daley is preparing to compete in the World Junior Diving Championships. He will be competing in the three meter synchronization event with partner Jack Laugher. Earlier this week, fans rushed to buy his first product as Daley launched his first 12-month calendar, featuring emotive shots of the Olympic diver at the London 2012 Games half-naked and soaked in water. He has been found modeling for Vogue magazine and appearing on daily talk shows.
“I learned about Daley by watching the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. He is very attractive, but also extremely talented. Girls love him mainly for his looks; guys respect him,” stated junior Mackenzie Phillips.
Although Daley is widely known for his athletic skills, some girls have found him extremely cute and attractive. These girls have decided to follow Daley on social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to view pictures uploaded daily personally by Daley.
“I follow him on Twitter and Facebook. I don’t believe he is any more spectacular compared to other Olympians, but he is great!” affirmed Phillips.
Daley currently has over one million “Likes’ on his Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter followers. Daley has even started his own trend with #TomDaleyPhotoADay on Instagram, which he posts pictures from his personal life to his fans. Fans have also created Facebook pages and websites dedicated to posting pictures of Daley.
During the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Daley had long been considered one of the “poster boys” and a prospective medalist for Team Great Britain.
However, Daley’s fame developed long before his Olympic career.
“He was famous in the UK long before he gained popularity with Americans. He participated in the 2008 Olympics at just the age of 14,” exclaimed Phillips.
Besides being praised for his diving skills and attractive qualities, Daley is also very successful at school. Daley obtained straight As in his GCSEs and in his A-levels in photography, Spanish and maths. He is currently enrolled in Plymouth College, England.
To some, Daley is like any other Olympian. However, many of his fans admire his attitude and determination when it comes to diving.
“I respect all the he has overcome and great job at the Olympics. He has also overcome extreme hardship – his father died last year. It must have been difficult to train for the Olympics during that time,” stated Phillips.
Some believe that Daley “craze” will continue and hope to still see him diving.
“I don’t think people obsess over him like they do over, say, One Direction. I believe most people will forget about him until the next Olympics, except for the crazier girls. I would love to see him keep diving; especially because he continues to dive for his father, individual or synchro,” said Phillips.
Although it will be another four years until the next Summer Olympic Games, fans will continue to show Daley support through Facebook and Twitter throughout his diving career.
