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Daley: big future
I was nervous but good nerves with lots of adrenaline.
Tom Daley
Men's 10m platform:
Gold: M Mitcham (Aus)
Silver: Z Luxin (Chn)
Bronze: G Galperin (Rus)
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Tom Daley acquitted himself admirably with a seventh-place finish in the final of the men's 10m platform diving on Saturday.
The 14-year-old's performance made him the highest-placed British diver at the Beijing Olympics and bodes well for four years time in London.
He began the final well with a back two-and-a-half somersault with one-and half twists with a pike - one of his most difficult dives - and scored 81.6, which put him joint fourth out of 12.
In the semi-final Daley's first two efforts had let him down but there was no sign of big night nerves as he then posted 78 for his second dive, giving him 159.6 after two rounds.
That was better than at the same stage of his semi (143.40) but dropped him to seventh - 10.5 points adrift of the bronze medal position.
He slipped a further place after round three but his fifth dive, a back three-and a-half somersault with tuck, gained 84.15 and lifted him back up to sixth before a below-par final dive scored at 64.6 cost him a place.
The gold medal was snatched in the penultimate dive by Australia's Matthew Mitcham who scored 112.10 - the highest score of the Games - to take him above long-time Chinese leader Zhou Luxin on 537.95.
Delighted
Daley, who was watched by a number of British athletes - including triple gold medal-winning cyclist Chris Hoy - and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was delighted with his performance.
"It was great," he said. "I enjoyed myself all the way through.
"There were some dives I did miss but I still loved every second of it.
"I was nervous but good nerves with lots of adrenaline - which was good because I had done all the hard work of getting through the prelims and the semi-final.
"The final I was just out to enjoy myself. There were loads of Union Jacks flying in the crowd so you couldn't ask for more."
