Tom Daley is reportedly set to be offered a knighthood after announcing his retirement from diving on Monday.
Daley, 30, called time on his glittering career after landing his fifth Olympic medal in Paris, a silver in the 10m platform synchronised event alongside Noah Williams.
He also claimed a gold and a bronze in the synchonised events in 2021 and 2016 respectively, as well as bronze medals in the individual competition in 2012 and 2021.
According to The Times, Daley will now be rewarded for his outstanding achievement with a knighthood, if he chooses to accept the honour.
He already has an OBE from back in 2022 for services to diving, LGBTQ+ rights and charity, and could now receive the top honour.
Tom Daley is reportedly set to be offered a knighthood after ending his glittering diving career
Daley won a silver medal alongside Noah Williams (right) in Paris – his fifth Olympic medal
Daley received an OBE in 2022, and is now set to be recognised on the new year’s honours list
Daley was also a Team GB flagbearer alongside Helen Glover at the opening ceremony
Daley was a flagbearer for Team GB at the opening ceremony alongside rower Helen Glover and also attended the closing ceremony at the Stade de France on Sunday night.
He had hinted after his fine performance in Paris that he could be tempted to carry on for a sixth Olympics, with the 2028 Games set to be held in Los Angeles where Daley resides at times during the year with his husband Dustin Lance Black and their two children, Robbie and Phoenix Rose.
However, Daley announced his retirement on Monday morning just under two weeks after his final competition.
‘It was emotional at the end, up there on the platform, knowing it was going to be my last competitive dive,’ Daley told Vogue. ‘But I have to make the decision at some point, and it feels like the right time to call it a day.
‘I’ve spent my whole life doing this and being able to let go of it is going to be hard. It’s going to be a major adjustment.
‘I would love for people to remember me for being a person that persevered, who persisted and didn’t give up on his dream until he was able to achieve it.
‘To currently be Britain’s most decorated diver, I feel so incredibly proud. When I look back, I’m really, genuinely satisfied with what I’ve done.’
Daley first burst onto the scene when he competed at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 as a 14-year-old.
He finished seventh in the individual event and eighth in the synchronised competition, offering a glimpse of his obvious talent.
The following year he was crowned individual world champion in Rome, which only cranked up the pressure for his home Olympics in London three years later.
Daley burst onto the scene as a 14-year-old (pictured) when he competed in Beijing in 2008
He won his first Olympic medal at London 2012 when he claimed bronze in the individual event
Daley and Matty Lee (far side) were perfectly in sync back in 2021 in Tokyo
They were rewarded with a gold medal as Daley achieved his lifelong dream
But Daley delivered on the biggest stage just one year after the death of his father Robert following a battle with brain cancer.
Daley earned an individual bronze and celebrated his first Olympic medal by jumping in the diving pool in front of the jubilant British crowd.
Daley would go on to win four more medals, and reached the pinnacle of the sport when he won an Olympic gold alongside Matty Lee in Tokyo in 2021.
He wept on the podium after fulfilling his lifelong dream, and looked set to retire from diving following those Olympic Games.
But he was tempted back for one final trip to the 10m platform in Paris, and his decision to continue paid off as he won another medal to add to his collection.
Daley’s silver was one of five diving medals that Team GB picked up in Paris, as they won four bronzes, including one for Daley’s partner Williams in the individual competition.
Other superstars of the Paris Games could also be set for gongs in the new year’s honours list, with 800m Keely Hodgkinson and cross-country cycling gold medallist Tom Pidcock likely to earn recognition for their performances.
