Tom Daley to dive in Edinburgh for Scottish debut

Tom Daley pratices at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh. Picture: Getty

• Olympic medallist Tom Daley will compete for the first time in Scotland in third leg of Fina World Diving Series

• Sold-out event will take place in Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool, recently refurbished at cost of £37 million

The 18-year-old will compete for the first time since his bronze medal success at the London 2012 Games in the third leg of the Fina World Diving Series, starting tomorrow.

The three day competition will pit the eight member strong British team against some of the world’s best divers from nine countries around the world in synchronised and individual events.

Daley said he was “excited” to be in Scotland for the competition, the first time he has competed in the country.

He said: “It’s good to be here practicing in the Commonwealth Pool to a home crowd again, my first world series and the first senior international since the Games.

“It’s weird because there’s been so much going on; filming Splash and my A-level exams coming up and getting back in the pool.”

Post-Olympics, Daley admitted that he considered Russia and Mexico to be his main rivals when it comes to the 10m indivual event, tickets for which have sold out.

He added: “I’ve had to break down my dives to get back into it and work my way back up to try and get them more consistent.

There’s a massive period of preparation and with me having to break down my dives, my preparation hasn’t been the best. It’s about trying to make the best of a not-so-good situation.”

Should he perform well, the diver will qualify for the World Championships to be held next year.

Daley’s team mate Chris Mears said he was looking forward to competing again following recovery from an injury at the end of last year.

He said: “I rolled my ankle in December and it took about a month to get back, that was really hard for me. But I’ve competed at this level for so many years now and I’m still considered a youngster, so that’s really good.

“I arrived in Edinburgh two days ago, and it’s my first time in Scotland, ever. We had a bit of a wander around and it was pretty cool, we saw the castle. We really like it here.”

The 20-year-old Olympic finalist will dive in the synchronised individual event, and remained philosophical about his chances in the pool.

He added: “I don’t really think about my rivals in the competition, I think more about my own diving. I don’t actually watch other divers in my event, the one before you you have to watch because you have to know when you have to go up on the board, but that’s the only dive I really watch. I occasionally watch the Chinese, because they’re extraordinary.”

The Royal Commonwealth Pool was recently refurbished at a cost of £37 million, and boasts the only Olympic-height 10 metre diving board in Scotland.