- The duo pulled clear of third-place after being tied early on in the contest
- After, Daley’s partner Noah Williams broke down in tears during an interview
- He admitted it was an emotional moment following the death of a former coach
Tom Daley‘s diving partner Noah Williams broke down in tears after the pair secured a silver medal in the Olympic Games.
On Monday morning, the Team GB duo clinched second-place in the men’s synchronised 10m diving event after an impressive display at the Aquatic Centre.
It proved especially emotional for Williams, who failed to withhold his tears after reflecting on the passing of his former coach Dave Jenkins.
Speaking on BBC One, Williams said: ‘It means a lot to me, from third last to second. My coach passed away after Tokyo, so I don’t want to talk too much because I’m going to cry. I’m happy, I’m happy.’
Asked how he thinks Jenkins would have viewed his performance, Williams responded: ‘Probably pretty proud. Do you want to talk for me?’
Tom Daley’s (left) diving partner Noah Williams (right) broke down in tears after the pair secured a silver medal in the Olympic Games
Williams was discussing the passing of his former coach Dave Jenkins after they won silver
Jenkins (pictured), 31, who worked with Daley and Williams, passed away back in October 2021
Williams looked overwhelmed with emotion before Daley intervened and continued the post-dive speech with the broadcaster.
He said: ‘I’ve never seen Noah cry in my whole life, and I know how much this has meant to him.
‘Dave has been such a key part in Noah’s diving success and career, and it’s very sad he’s not here to be able to see this.
‘But I know both Dave and my dad would be very proud to see us going in and doing a really solid performance for a silver medal.’
Jenkins passed in October 2021 and the impact on Williams was so significant that he considered stepping away from the sport entirely.
Speaking back in May, he said: ‘A lot of this (Olympic) cycle is done in his memory. I wanted to quit after he passed.
Daley and Williams secured a remarkable silver in the men’s synchronised 10m diving event
David was the Development Lead Coach for Dive London, overseeing the progress of the next generation of elite athletes at the London Aquatics Centre (LAC) (Pictured with Tom Daley in February 2019)
‘It’s hard when someone passes who is your main motivator, he was training me for events.
‘I really didn’t enjoy diving after that. It still would’ve been completely different if he just quit, diving would be different, but because he did pass away, it was a lot to process.
‘It was the first time in my life that I’d had anything like that to deal with.’
Williams and Daley scored a nerve-calming 53.40 in the first required dive to go top of the leaderboard, before the Chinese pair of Junjie Lian and Hao Jang, favourites ahead of the event, wowed with a dive scored at 56.40.
In the second round, Daley and Williams remained consistent with a score of 51.60 taking their total to a solid 105.00, tied with Canada, while China stretched their lead to nine points.
Daley and Williams secured second in today’s men’s synchronised 10m diving event
As the participants moved on to the optional dives, the British pair showed their class, pulling off a majestic display to stretch clear of the Canadians and earn a score of 83.52 before a stunning fourth dive secured them a whopping 93.96.
As they got to the business end of the competition, Daley and Williams remained cool under the pressure with a dive worth a judge’s score of 87.72 in the fifth and penultimate round.
A show-stopping high-risk dive in the sixth round, earning Daley and Williams a score of 93.24, was enough to secure second.
