THE golden boy of British diving, Tom Daley, saw his shine tarnished on the penultimate day in Rio when he finished last in the 10m platform semi-final.
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The group also attempted to cast doubt on the fact that Daley is truly gay, blaming the seduction of an “older man”, likely referencing Daley’s fiancée, filmmaker Dustin Lance Bass, who is 20 years his senior.
Chen had never won a major worldwide 10-meter individual title, having more success in synchronized platform, winning gold in Rio and at last year’s world championships.
“When I am up on the board I am complete in the moment but today things were not clicking”.
“I’ve been feeling so good”.
“Yesterday I got a diving record, I scored the highest score ever in an Olympic games”. I knew I had a shot on the last dive still, and I gave it my all, it just didn’t happen today’.
He said: “It’s really hard to accept”.
“That’s the way diving works”. The bronze medalist was at the top out of 24 divers in the qualification round to end then at last.
“(But) I want to carry on. “That’s been my dream since I was a kid, to be an Olympic champion”, he said.
There’s widespread expectation that the games in Tokyo, one of the world’s richest, most recognizable, cosmopolitan cities, will run more smoothly than they have in Rio.
Daley had boldly claimed he would be satisfied with nothing less than gold from his individual event.
Tom Daley, just a day after posting a massive score in the preliminary round, flames out in the semifinal.
Daley subsequently admitted he was “heartbroken” after suffering a shock elimination.
China’s Chen Aisen led the way with 559.90 and Qiu Bo was second with 504.70.
The United States topped the medal table for the second straight Olympics with 46 gold medals and 121 overall.
Daley planned to watch Saturday’s final. “It’s going to be really tough watching those guys up there, knowing I really wanted to be up there challenging the Chinese for the gold medal”.
China had won six of the seven completed events at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre so far this week, with Jack Laugher and Chris Mears’ win in the synchronised 3m springboard event the exception.
“I gave it everything that I had”, Daley added.
“To think that Team GB diving has already got three medals from this Games is just incredible”.
Jane Figueiredo, Daley’s coach, described the semi-final as “painful” viewing.
“This experience has been the dream of a lifetime for me and my team, and I consider it a privilege to represent my country, the United States Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics”, said Biles, who was selected by her peers to lead the US delegation into the Closing Ceremony.
“I’m not a person that stays in the depths of despair for very long”.
“There are no words sometimes”.
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Olympians poured in under light rain, waving their flags while many shook their bodies to samba-infused pop that made the stadium feel like a Carnival parade. “These Games will be defined by the inspiring performances of our athletes, the images of them on the podium and the success of the Organizing Committee”. Widely considered the best gymnast of her generation, Biles became the first American gymnast to win four golds at a single Games, helping Team USA medal in every event for the first time since 1984.
