It's not over yet...

SO Tom Daley’s big day did not quite go as well as everyone had hoped.

Tom and his synchro partner, Blake Aldridge, did go into the event knowing that if they performed to their best they could possibly snatch a medal.

But it was always going to be a big ask for them against some top class divers.

I was in the Aquatic Centre yesterday, and I am no diving expert, but I didn’t think Tom and Blake deserved to finish last out of the eight finalists.

But that is the problem with sports like diving and gymnastics: it is very subjective.

The Chinese and the Germans were clearly better than the rest on the day, but I didn’t think there was anything to choose between the other six pairs.

And I was quite surprised when the Russians totally messed up one dive and yet got more points than Tom and Blake, whose dive, to the untrained eye, had looked far better.

Plymouth Swallows’ Robin Leeworthy is out in Beijing working as a judge at the gymnastics.

And it was interesting that she told me that it is not much fun being a judge at an event like the Olympics as there is so much pressure on them and that it is very nerve-wracking deciding the outcomes of the most-sought after medals in sport.

At least Tom has another chance to try and impress the judges when he competes in the individual event in 10 days time.

Although he didn’t win a medal, Tom deserved great praise for the way he handled himself yesterday.

He was under incredible pressure going into the event, with the whole world’s media focussed on him.

The Eggbuckland Community College teenager even found himself on the front cover of a supplement in yesterday’s China Daily newspaper.

And all the world’s journalists were waiting for him to give his views on finishing last in the final.

Tom must have been incredibly disappointed, yet he had to come out and face hundreds and hundreds of reporters all throwing tape recorders in his face.

The athletes have to walk through an airport style bending ticket queue where journalists hog the rails.

Every two steps he took Tom was stopped and asked exactly the same questions as he had been asked just seconds early by other journalists.

That type of experience would be a lot for any disappointed athlete to face, but especially a 14-year-old.

The Chinese winners even got through the press area quicker than he did.

Eventually a Great Britain official decided enough was enough and pulled Tom away and told the journalists no more interviews.
However, at this point Tom saw me and he turned to the official and said “there’s The Herald, I want to speak to them”.

And he used the opportunity to express his thanks to everyone in the city for supporting him.

Yet it was not long before other journalists realised he was doing another interview and quickly hijacked his conversation with The Herald.

It was clear Tom was frustrated by this and especially when some American stupidly asked him if he had any normal 14-year-old friends?

But, credit to him, he was polite all the time and even gave the Yank an answer (which was ‘yeah, of course’).

He was very diplomatic in every interview he did, not criticising or making any excuses.

And I bet all he really wanted to do was get away and meet up with his parents for the first time in two weeks.

People also have to remember that Tom made an Olympic final.
Just because the heats were held earlier in the year at the World Cup, that should not take away the achievement.

Although he and Blake came last yesterday, he did at least make the last eight, which so many other Great Britain’s athletes would love to achieve.

Anyway, on a lighter note, visiting the diving events for the last two days has allowed me to witness at firsthand the Olympic mascots.

Beijing has got five of them and they represent the Olympic rings and the five major continents.

I have seen some funny things since arriving in China’s capital, but the mascots provided me with one of the most surreal moments.

On my first day at the Aquatic Centre I did not know what to expect when there was loud fanfare music and the announcer excitedly shouts out ‘welcome to our mascots’.

And out from one end of the building popped these five rubber inflatable creatures.
They come out jumping and dancing.


I suppose the nearest thing to describe the costume some poor person is having to wear is like those giant sumo costumes that are popular at drunken functions, except in rubber.

But as the announcer is giving all the talk about how there is five of them and their names, it suddenly becomes clear that one of them is deflating.

All of a sudden this mascot – I think representing Asia – is dragged off to the side while someone re-pumps the costume up.

It was also funny seeing them make an exit as these mascots are too big to fit through the door, so some person stands at the entrance and deflates them and quickly shoves them through the exit.

Knowing the Chinese’s love for literal translation I keep thinking that this person’s job title translated into English may be ‘mascot plug puller’.