Diving: Daley springs back to victory

Published on 10/10/2012 01:52

Tom Daley made a victorious return to action by winning the 3m springboard synchro alongside Jack Laugher at the World Junior Diving Championships in Adelaide.

In his first appearance since winning an emotional bronze medal at the London Olympics, Daley secured his first junior world title and continued a stellar year that has also seen him crowned European and World Series platform champion.

Victory was Laugher’s second title in as many days after he won the individual 3m springboard on the opening day of competition on Monday. The 17-year-old Ripon diver, who has been tipped as a future world champion by American diving legend Greg Louganis, has now claimed four junior world crowns.

Daley and Laugher blitzed their rivals with a score of 338.85. Russian duo Ilia Kuzmin and Maxim Popkov were their closest challengers 30.83 behind.

It was a rare appearance on the springboard for Daley, but marked a possible future direction for the Plymouth diver after he and Laugher only began training together for the synchro after the Olympics.

Daley will look to claim his second gold medal later this week when he competes in the 10m platform, the event at which he was crowned senior world champion as a 15-year-old in 2009.

“It’s my first gold medal at a junior worlds and it is great to say I am junior world champion,” Daley said.