Tom Daley retires an icon - but where does he rank alongside Great Britain's greatest-ever Olympians?
Tom Daley will go down as one the greatest British Olympians
GETTY
The likes of Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Chris Hoy, Laura Kenny, and Jason Kenny are understandably seen as Great Britain's greatest Olympians of all time due to their gold medal tallies, but Tom Daley is arguably just as deserving for his Olympics career.
The 30-year-old has announced his retirement from diving after landing back in the UK following the end of the Paris Olympics.
Daley, who won gold in Tokyo, added a silver medal in the men's 10m synchro to complete the full set.
He said: “I felt so incredibly nervous going into this, knowing it was my last Olympics.
“There was a lot of pressure and expectations. I was eager for it to be done.
Tom Daley will go down as one the greatest British Olympians
GETTY
“But when I walked out, and saw my husband (Lance) and kids (Robbie and Phoenix) and my friends and family in the audience, I was like, you know what? This is exactly why I did this.
“It was emotional at the end, up there on the platform, knowing it was going to be my last competitive dive.
“But I have to make the decision at some point, and it feels like the right time. It’s the right time to call it a day.”
Daley leaves behind one of the biggest legacies a British athlete has ever done in one specific discipline.
It was back in 2008 when a 13-year-old Daley burst onto the scene having won a national senior title and his appearance in Beijing saw him become an instant household name.
Fast forward 17 years later and Daley has been synonymous with Team GB's rise to a powerhouse in diving.
Prior to Daley's debut in Beijing, Great Britain had gone through a dry spell for medals off the boards.
Leon Taylor and Peter Waterfield were Team GB's first diving Olympic medallists in 44 years with their bronze in the men's 10m synchro at Athens.
It was also just the sixth medal overall for Team GB in the history of diving at the Olympics after it was first part of the Games' programme in 1908.
But Daley's emergence at 2008 saw Team GB embark on a golden era of British diving success.
Tom Daley burst onto the scene as a 14 year old at the Beijing Olympics
GETTY
He won Team GB's first individual diving medal in 52 years at London 2012 with his bronze in the men's 10m platform.
More success followed in Rio 2016 with Team GB picking up three diving medals, along with Chris Mears and Jack Laugher clinching the nation's first gold in the discipline.
Daley added his own gold in Tokyo alongside Matty Lee as Team GB matched their tally for Rio.
And Daley was front and centre once more as Team GB's divers enjoyed their best-ever Olympics with five total medals in Paris.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Tom Daley has won five Olympic medals in five Games
GETTY
The Plymouth-born diver ends his Olympics career with five medals in as many Games - a huge feat in itself managing to compete in five consecutive major tournaments.
There are only eight other British athletes to have competed in more Olympics than Daley, half of whom competed in equestrian events.
But it's not just Daley's longevity that puts him in the upper echelons of British Olympians.
He came out as gay in 2013 in a video on YouTube video that has been watched over 13 million times.
Tom Daley embodies the definition of the Olympic values
GETTY
His announcement came a year before same-sex marriage became legal in the United Kingdom.
It made Daley one of Britain's most recognisable and high-profile gay sports stars and he acted as a beacon of hope for many who followed.
The boy who first made his Olympic debut 16 years ago has now retired a true British sporting icon.
Daley may not have the medals to match the likes of Kenny, Hoy or Redgrave, but he certainly matches and perhaps even surpasses them for influence as an individual who transcends sport.
Daley embodies the very definition of the Olympic values and there's no doubting his place as one of Britain's greatest-ever Olympians.
You may like
