Teenage diver Tom Daley is on course to become Great Britain's youngest male Olympian after helping his country earn a place in the 10m synchronized platform diving at this year's Beijing Games.
Daley is only 13 but he is already regarded as one of the sport's brightest stars and, together with his partner Blake Aldridge, won a bronze medal in the 10m synchro at the World Cup event in the Chinese capital on Friday.
Daley will be 14 years and 80 days old when the Games begin, beating the record for the youngest British male Olympian by more than a year.
The previous youngest competitor was Fred Hodges, also a diver. Hodges was 15 years and 94 days when he went to the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
If Daley comes in the top eight in the weekend's individual event he will himself qualify for the Games and be the youngest-ever male British Olympian.
But in the pairs, Daley and Aldridge will face tough competition from 2004 Olympic silver medalists Leon Taylor and Pete Waterfield.
"In the trials in June we'll find out who takes up the place out of me and Blake or Leon and Pete," Daley said.
"We're another step closer to my dream of competing in the Olympics. It's something I've wanted for a long time and hopefully it'll come true this year," he said.
Daley is still pinning his hopes on being automatically selected in the singles.
"If I get to the semi-finals I'll be very happy because it'll be an Olympic spot. If I get to the finals that's a bonus," he said.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most