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Tom Daley absent from England's Commonwealth Games diving squad

Tom Daley absent from England's Commonwealth Games diving squad
© Reuters
Olympic champion Tom Daley is absent from England's Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games diving squad as he continues his break from the sport.

Four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Tom Daley will not be competing for England at the upcoming Birmingham Games.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic 10m synchro champion has taken time out from training since winning gold alongside Matty Lee on the platform last year.

Daley has won a total of five medals at the Commonwealth Games and is the reigning champion in 10m synchro with Daniel Goodfellow, while he is a two-time individual champion from 2010 and 2014.

However, the 28-year-old has now announced that he will not be competing in front of the home crowd this year as he continues his time off from diving.

"I won't be competing in this year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Before the Olympics last year, my coach and I decided I would take a year out from the sport to have some time to rest and be with my family. Can't wait to watch all my team mates kick some butt this summer!" Daley wrote on Instagram.

It also remains to be seen if Daley will defend his Olympic title at Paris 2024, but the Brit hinted that he would compete at what would be his fifth Games last year.

Daley's Tokyo partner Lee is a member of England's 18-strong squad, though, and the 24-year-old will go in search of his first Commonwealth Games medal in Birmingham.

"It means an awful lot to be Part of the Pride again. I enjoy the Commonwealth Games because it's something different and it has a special place in my heart because I always wanted to go to a Commonwealth Games," Lee told Team England following his selection.

"I feel like I can do really well, and I think doing it for England, we always want it to 'come home', and I want to be the one to 'Bring It Home'."

Gold Coast champion Goodfellow is also among the names representing England, while 2016 Olympic gold medallist Jack Laugher is searching for his sixth gold medal of the Commonwealth Games.

"It's my fourth Commonwealth Games, which is obviously super exciting, especially with it being in Birmingham in our home country, it's massive," the springboard specialist added.

"The ambition is to do as best as I can, I've had a really successful year with three golds at the British Championships and now heading into the World Championships to shake the cobwebs off at a really large event."

Laugher's three medals on the Gold Coast helped England finish the 2018 Games at the top of the diving charts, winning eight in total with four golds as Australia collected three Commonwealth titles and 11 medals in total.

Lois Toulson, Noah Williams and Matthew Dixon have also stepped onto the podium at the Games, with the former taking bronze in the 10m four years ago.

Williams and Dixon, meanwhile, took the silver medal in the 2018 10m synchro event behind Daley and Goodfellow, while Dixon also came second in the individual 10m platform event.

England diving squad:

Jack Laugher, Matty Lee, Daniel Goodfellow, Lois Toulson, Noah Williams, Matthew Dixon, Desharne Bent-Ashmeil, Robyn Birch, Eden Cheng, Ben Cutmore, Anthony Harding, Yasmin Harper, Jordan Houlden, Kyle Kothari, Emily Martin, Amy Rollinson, Evie Smith, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix

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Written by
Ben Knapton

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Tom Daley in action at the Commonwealth Games on April 13, 2018
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