Tom Daley and Noah Williams secure 'special' silver medal at Paris 2024

Tom Daley added a silver lining to his remarkable Olympic career as he claimed his fifth medal in as many Games.

Alongside partner Noah Williams, the 30-year-old won silver in the Men’s Synchronised 10m Platform final at Paris 2024.

The Team GB duo finished behind China after six wonderfully executed dives left them with a points tally of 463.44.

It represented a first silver medal for Daley to accompany his three bronze and the gold he won in the same event at Tokyo 2020, whilst for Williams it was his first medal at his second Games.

The Chinese pair of Junjie Lian and Hao Yang dominated throughout and, in truth, never looked like relinquishing their grip on the gold but Daley and Williams looked podium-bound throughout the competition.

The consistency of their dives carried them more than 40 points clear of Canada’s Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray, sparking wild celebrations among the British supporters gathered in the aquatics centre in the French capital.

Daley and Williams simply could not hide their delight after securing Team GB’s second diving medal of the Games following Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen’s bronze in the Women’s Synchronised 3m Springboard on Saturday.

‘I know how much this has meant to him’

Daley said: “It’s just so special. This time last year deciding to come back not knowing whether I would make the synchro team let alone qualify for the Olympics and now to be in Paris diving in front of my son who asked me to come back is so special. It completes the set because I now have one of every colour.

Williams could not hold back the tears when speaking to the media as he remembered his late coach Dave Jenkins, who sadly passed away in 2021.

“It means a lot to me,” he revealed. “From third last (in Tokyo) to second, my coach passed away after Tokyo and to be honest I don’t want to talk too much because I will cry, but I’m really happy.”

Daley added: “I’ve never seen Noah cry in my whole life. I know how much this has meant to him and Dave has been such a key part in Noah’s diving success and career.

“It’s very sad that he’s not here to see this but I know both Dave and my dad would be very proud of us going in and doing a really, really solid performance for a silver medal.”

Coach Jane Figueiredo paid tribute to the duo, saying: “I’m over the moon for both of them. There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes that most people don’t realise in an athlete’s life and a coach’s life, so for both of them to achieve a silver medal today was absolutely brilliant.

“China was just too good for us today, but we hung in there and I’m just so proud.

“The Olympic Games, or any of the big events, you just have to be steady, be consistent and you have to be emotionally detached. You have to think through your skills and make sure you execute.

“For Tom and I, it’s like old turkey. We’ve been on this rodeo. It’s Noah’s first medal, he lost his beautiful, wonderful coach a few years ago. David Jenkins set him up, I took him the rest of the way. Noah was exceptional today.”