Double gold for diver Daley
DIVING prodigy Tom Daley dedicated his second gold medal of the Commonwealth Games to his seriously ill father after triumphing in the 10m platform.
Rob Daley remained at home for chemotherapy instead of travelling to Delhi to watch his son compete, but the 16-year-old did him proud by adding to the 10m synchro crown he won on Tuesday.
Daley put his recent injury worries firmly behind him and held his nerve to win a duel of the highest quality with Australian Olympic champion Matthew Mitcham.
“All I can say is that one is for you,” Daley told his father, who has been a familiar figure by his side at competitions. “I knew you would be watching on TV and I had to do it for you.”
The teenager was unable to defend his European title earlier this year after suffering a shoulder injury, which also hampered his preparations for the Commonwealth Games.
But the world champion from Devon showed no signs of rustiness as the lead swung between him and Mitcham in an absorbing final.
Daley went into the last round with a slender advantage of 1.75 points and Mitcham failed to make a clean entry, handing the title to the English schoolboy.
“Today has been a complete whirlwind. I am just so happy. To come away with another gold medal is incredible,” said Daley, who won synchro gold with Max Brick and called his last effort yesterday “the dive of my life”.
“There has been a lot of pressure, coming back from my torn triceps in the summer. I’m so happy to be back and on top of my game to win a Commonwealth Games medal.”
Boxer Tom Stalker, meanwhile, won lightweight gold for England after beating Scotland’s Josh Taylor 11-3 in the final. Compatriot Simon Vallily earned the team another title by beating Northern Ireland’s Steven Ward to the heavyweight crown. Another Englishman, Bradley Saunders, was beaten to the light-welterweight title by India’s Manoj Kumar.