Daley: Tough to find motivation for Rio

By Pete Grant,

OLYMPIC star Tom Daley says it is going to be very hard for him to find the motivation for a gold-medal winning display in Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games.

MAKING A SPLASH: Tom Daley helped himself to a bronze medal this summer at the London Olympics

The 18-year-old took bronze at London 2012 in the 10m platform event and believes the conditions in Brazil will suit him down to the ground as he aims to top the podium.

And with two golds at October’s World Junior Diving Championships, the Plymouth diver is back in the winning habit and believes he will be close to his peak come 2016.

“It’s going to be tough to get the motivation back for Rio, but I’m getting there and finding some good form again,” said Daley, who became one of Britain’s youngest-ever Olympians in Beijing at just 14.

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“There’s always a drive and determination going into any competition, but admittedly it’ll hard to beat getting a medal in front of a home crowd.

“The London Games were fantastic, but that’s been and gone now and I’ve got to cast my mind forward to the future,” he added.

“Divers normally peak around the age of 22, and so going into Rio at the right age and with two Games worth of experience should serve me well.

“I’m not worrying myself about what colour the medal will be next time, I just need to work on my performances and the rest will come.”

After just two weeks off after London 2012, Daley has the task of squeezing his media commitments into a busy training schedule, including filming for his new reality TV show ‘Splash’.

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The Plymouth Diving Club member knows competition is fierce in the diving world, with the Chinese scooping six of the eight gold medals on offer in London.

But with the facilities in Rio set to be outdoors, Daley believes the conditions will give him a vital edge over the dominant force in world diving.

“My sport is ultra-competitive right now and it’s going to be a massive job to surpass the Chinese divers,” added Daley, who goes to the World Championships next year aiming for a repeat of his 2009 10m gold.

“All I can do is work as hard as I possibly can and make it count when it matters.

“The Chinese don’t really like outdoor conditions as they aren’t used to it and don’t have as many repetitions under their belt, so it suits me.

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“I really like diving outdoors so it won’t be a problem for me, I’m kind of solar powered anyway.”