If you asked Yona Knight-Wisdom about 2024, he would readily admit that it was a year of milestones, reflection, and transformation.
While reflecting on the year, the Jamaican diving trailblazer and three-time Olympian, who officially announced his retirement after the Paris Games, identified 10 core moments that shaped his final year as a professional diver and prepared him for life beyond the sport.
Beckford Advances to Men’s High Jump final
Jamaica's Romaine Beckford emerged as the standout performer in the men's high jump qualification rounds, securing his place in the finals. Beckford cleared 2.24m in Group B, placing third in the group and eighth overall. Despite none of the athletes meeting the automatic qualification standard of 2.29m, Beckford's performance was strong enough to earn him a spot in the final, scheduled for August 10.
Meanwhile, it was a challenging day for the Bahamas' Donald Thomas, who failed to register a mark in Group A and was unable to advance. The qualification round was led by Shelby McEwen of the United States, who cleared 2.27m.
Knight-Wisdom a reserve in Men’s 3m Springboard final
In the men's three-metre springboard semi-finals, Jamaica's Yona Knight-Wisdom delivered an impressive performance, finishing 13th overall with a total score of 412.40 points. This placed him as a reserve for the final, prepared to step in if any of the top 12 qualifiers are unable to compete.
Knight-Wisdom showcased his diving prowess with a series of six dives, highlighted by his highest-scoring dive, the Forward 3½ Somersaults in Pike position, which earned him 74.40 points. Other notable dives included the Forward 2½ Somersaults 2 Twists in Pike position (73.10 points) and the Forward 2½ Somersaults 1 Twist in Pike position (72.00 points). His overall consistency secured his 13th place finish and a potential spot in the finals set for August 8.
Bahamas’ Otabor does not advance in Women’s Javelin Throw
In the women’s javelin throw, the Bahamas' Rhema Otabor will not advance to the next round. Otabor placed 13th in Group A with a throw of 57.67m, resulting in a 27th place overall finish, which was not sufficient to meet the qualification standard of 62m.
Despite the setback, Otabor’s career achievements at the age of 21 are noteworthy. She has already claimed the 2024 NCAA championship, the 2023 Pan American Games silver medal, and the 2023 NACAC U23 title. Additionally, she earned a bronze medal at the 2022 NACAC Championships and finished fourth in the 2021 World U20 Championships.
Poland's Maria Andrejczyk led the qualification round with a season-best throw of 65.52m, setting the bar high for the competition.
Together, Daley and Williams won silver in the men's synchronised 10m platform at the Games in the French capital earlier this month.
It marked Daley's fifth Olympic medal, following his gold in the same event alongside Matty Lee at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Yet Williams believes Daley's impact has been seismic in diving and beyond.
"He is literally an icon of the Olympics for Team GB. He is the one person who has transcended diving in my opinion," he told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
"He's a massive activist for the gay community; he helps so many communities massively and has inspired so many people to take up not just diving, but sport in general.
"I will miss him in training, but I'm sure everyone will miss him competing and being around."
Daley first made the headlines competing at Beijing 2008 when he was just 14 years old. He came out in 2013 and has since been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
He returned to competitive diving for Paris 2024 after a two-year break, so his two sons could watch him compete.
For Williams, however, retirement may come much sooner. The 24-year-old won individual bronze in the men's 10m platform in addition to his silver with Daley in Paris.
Despite such success in this cycle, his participation at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 is not guaranteed.
“I'm not sure what I'm going to do, is the truth. I don't want to dive just because I'm good at it, because it does take a lot of mental energy, a big toll on you,” he said.
"I saw a lot of people saying, 'Tom's retiring? But he's only 30', but I don't think they realise that 30 is actually old in the world of diving.
"That's why, when he took two years out after Tokyo, no one was particularly shocked.
"Even though I'm 24, I'm not far off being too old to dive - which seems crazy."
The 26-year-old Knight-Wisdom, having decided to relocate from his family home, said the going got extremely tough, as all of a sudden, he had to be paying bills which seriously hampered his preparation. “It’s has been challenging because there have been times when I have to be borrowing money from friend and family to get through,” Knight-Wisdom revealed.
“I have been receiving the funding from the Institute of Sports and it is tremendously helpful because the last few years have been very challenging for me. I moved from Leeds to Edinburg, so I left home which meant I have to pay rent, bills and food and paid for more things than when I was at home,” he pointed out.
“The scholarship that I have been receiving plus now this Institute of Sports funding has been really, really helpful and I am grateful to Minister Olivia Grange for providing that for athletes and hope that it is something that will continue, not just in the Olympic year, but in the years in between because those are the years that really count.
“But I am super grateful for it. It has been really helpful. I have been using it for some extra massage treatment and just try to look after my body to get me in a good condition for the Games”.
In 2016, Knight-Wisdom became the first Jamaican diver to qualify for the Olympic Games in fact, the first in the Caribbean.
“I am now starting to find my rhythm again. I went through the tough phase of getting back into training full time and so hopefully I can start building on all the good work I did in Tokyo at the World Cup. I can start improving on the small details going forward to the Games,” said Knight-Wisdom.
The tall Knight-Wisdom who won silver at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru, said preparation is going well so far.
“It took a little bit of time because of the qualification to get back, recover physically and recover mentally. It was quite a stressful environment and recover from the jetlag before getting back into training.
“This is my second Olympic Games and it’s so incredible to be saying that. I first watched the Olympics in 2004 at the age of 9 and everything that I am doing now is to make that little boy proud. The fact I am going to my second Olympic Games is really fun and I am happy about it,” said Knight-Wisdom.
“I want to improve on what I did five years ago. I want to improve on my semi-final performance. I know I can dive well enough to get into the final, I have to dive well to make that happen, just like everyone else. So that’s what my aim is to make it to the final then we see what happens,” he noted.
“I just want people to enjoy the sport of diving. Watch me and support me and I am so appreciative of all the love and I definitely feel that when I visit the island.
“I want people to enjoy the beauty of diving and the competitiveness and maybe one day we can see more Jamaican divers competing at this level, that would be awesome and I want to do my part and help that happen in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said Knight-Wisdom.
Daley, who returned to compete at his fifth Olympics in order to allow his eldest son see him dive at a Games, clinched his fifth medal, albeit his first silver.
Williams, meanwhile, won his first Olympic medal. He competed at Tokyo, but subsequently suffered the loss of his coach Dave Jenkins, who passed away following the delayed 2020 Games.
But the pair did their mentors proud with an excellent performance on Monday, with their score bettered only by the Chinese duo of Yang Hao and Lian Junjie.
In an emotional interview with BBC Sport after the medal ceremony, Daley said: "It's so special, this time last year, deciding to come back, not knowing whether I'd make the synchro team, never mind the Olympics – now to be here in Paris, diving in front of my son, who asked me to come back, it's just so special.
"It completes the set – I now have one of every colour."
Williams fought back the tears when he was asked about his former coach, managing to say, "He'd be pretty proud", before Daley took over.
"I've never seen Noah cry, and I know how much this has meant to him," Daley said.
"Dave was such a key part of Noah's career, and it's so sad he’s not here to see this, but I know both Dave and my dad would be so proud to see us going in and getting that silver medal."
Daley, who made his Olympics debut at 14 in Beijing, was then asked if he planned on competing at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, in order to allow his youngest son, Phoenix, to see him in action.
"I don't know," he said. "For right now, I want to enjoy today and we'll see what the future holds, but right now I just want to go and hug my little ones.
"You have to train smarter, prioritise other things in your life as well as time in the pool. I was getting emotional before the competition because that's where I was at the happiest, but being here, being able to dive in front of my family and being so supported – my husband has been here for me the whole year."
The British-born Knight-Wisdom scored a total of 382.90 points to secure the 14th overall position.
Knight-Wisdom performed exceptionally well in the six rounds. He received 73.10 points for his outstanding performance in the Forward 2½ Somersaults 2 Twists pike dive, followed by 72.85 for his Forward 3½ Somersaults pike dive. His other scores were: 67.50 for a Forward 2½ Somersaults, 1 Twist pike dive; 64.50 for a Back 2½ Somersaults pike dive; and 61.20 for an Inward 3½ Somersaults tuck dive. His Reverse 3½ Somersaults tuck dive scored 43.75 points.
The 29-year-old became the first Jamaican male diver to compete at the Olympic Games when he participated in the 3m springboard at Rio 2016. He was also the first Jamaican diver to compete at the world championships when he participated in the 1m springboard at the 2013 edition in Barcelona, Spain. He is credited as a 2019 Pan American Games silver medallist in 1m springboard.
The semifinal is scheduled for August 7.
Spendolini-Sirieix claimed bronze at the Paris Olympics in the women's synchronised 10m platform, alongside Lois Toulson.
It is the 19-year-old's first medal. She was Team GB's youngest diver at the Tokyo Games at just 16.
Daley also made an early Olympic debut, competing in Beijing in 2008 at 14 years old. Now 30, he added to an already stellar medal collection in Paris, winning silver in the men's synchronised 10m platform with Noah Williams.
And Spendolini-Sirieix is grateful for the influence Daley has had on both her and the sport.
"I really feel like Tom has been the pioneer for diving. He’s really put diving on the map," she said while speaking to Stats Perform at Adidas house.
Daley became the first British diver to win four Olympic medals when he took gold in the 10m synchro at Tokyo 2020 with partner Matty Lee, to add to his three bronze from previous Games.
“Tom has done so much for our sport and as a team-mate, he's been really, really supportive," added Spendolini-Sirieix.
"He makes us laugh with his terrible dad jokes. But he just brings the fun, he brings the excitement and he brings the energy."
Asked whether she thought Daley would compete in Los Angeles in 2028, Spendolini-Sirieix was unsure, but partner Toulson chipped in: "It wouldn't surprise me, knowing Tom."
Just as his personality away from the pool is infectious, Daley's success in it has also rubbed off on the rest of his team.
In Paris, Team GB have the second-best medal haul in diving, only second to China.
They made history by winning medals in all synchro events, with one silver and three bronze.
"Now I really do feel like we've all put diving on the map, and that's the power of sport, it's the power of the Olympics,” said Spendolini-Sirieix, who also finished sixth in the women's 10m platform.
"We can really broadcast the hard work that we've been putting on. And I really do hope that more people tune into diving and try diving, because it's really a beautiful and unique sport."
Spendolini-Sirieix argues that such a feat would not be possible without the support of those behind the scenes.
"We are the ones that are diving, but we really feel like everyone dives with us in our hearts and with us behind our backs. It takes a village to create an athlete," she said.
"Having our family here as well to celebrate with us is the best part. It’s honestly the most amazing feeling."
Elsewhere, the diving board brought further Chinese success, and Sifan Hassan was among the familiar winners on the track.
Stats Perform breaks down the best of the action from Tokyo.
JAPAN JOY AGAIN AGAINST USA
Japan's women had beaten the United States 2-0 in the softball final and it was the turn of the men to achieve an identical result against the same opposition in the baseball.
The sport will not return for the 2024 Games, but the hosts seized their opportunity.
Japan stopped their major league season to make a number of leading players available and were rewarded with a first baseball gold medal.
Munetaka Murakami's third-inning home run put the hosts in control, before Tetsuto Yamada profited on an error in the eighth to complete the win.
USA manager Mike Scioscia said: "This tournament has been as intense as anything I've been a part of.
"Nineteen years managing the [Anaheim/Los Angeles] Angels, World Series and I don't know how many playoff games with the [Los Angeles] Dodgers. There's an intensity here. There's a focus."
CHINA DOMINATE BUT DALEY DELIGHTED
Cao Yuan's gold and Yang Jian's silver in the men's individual 10m platform completed a remarkable Games in the diving for China.
Cao became the first Olympic diver to win gold in three different disciplines (3m, 10m synchronised and 10m individual), while the one-two incredibly meant China won both gold and silver in every individual diving event.
Yang joined his team-mate on the podium after registering the highest score in Olympic history, with a forward four and a half somersaults in a pike position earning 112.75 points.
That performance left Tom Daley in third, but he was in awe of the dive.
"Honestly, Yang Jian is almost superhuman; he does the hardest dives in the world," Daley said. "I think if lots of other people tried to do that dive, you'd see quite a few catastrophes, so it's very impressive to see him do that dive."
Daley, who took gold in the 10m synchronised, was delighted all the same, telling BBC Sport: "I am so happy this Olympics has gone the way it has.
"I feel I am a different athlete and to finally get here... I always dreamed I would but if someone told me I was going to win a gold and a bronze I would have laughed in their faces."
HASSAN 'NEEDED' BRONZE HEARTBREAK
Hassan was going for an outstanding hat-trick at these Games, aiming to triumph in the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m.
The Dutchwoman made a fine start in the 5000 but then had to settle for bronze in the 1500 on Friday, meaning she was determined to top the charts in her last outing.
A time of 29:55.32 ensured Hassan did just that, and she said: "Today I'm grateful for [the bronze], because yesterday I was number three. That was not what I wanted, but what I needed.
"If I had won yesterday – if I raced smart and won the race – today I [could not have finished]. It was so hot. From the beginning I was really tired. I felt like I was sprinting.
"I was thinking about yesterday the whole race, and I've never gone deep like I did today."
BOWING OUT ON A HIGH
Allyson Felix was asked whether she had passed the torch after her Olympic career wound down in typical fashion with victory as part of a star-studded United States 4x400m team, their time of 3:16.85 the quickest since 1993.
"I just came out really at peace and wanting to soak it all in," she said after a record-extending 11th medal. "Obviously, I had complete confidence in the team.
"I think that is a really special team because we're not 400-metre runners – I don't see myself as a 400-metre specialist.
"We all do different things and it was really cool to come together, to get to close out the Olympic Games and, for me, my Olympic career."
Sydney McLaughlin added: "I think we were excited. An amazing group of women right here, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I think we all just knew going in it's going to be fast and just have fun."
BOOMERS BREAK THE BARRIER
After the United States won yet another gold earlier in the day, it was time for a new medallist in the men's basketball.
Olympic debutants Slovenia, led by Luka Doncic (22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, eight turnovers), went down 107-93 to Australia, who have had far more experience of this stage.
The Boomers reached the semi-finals for the fifth time in Tokyo but only now collected a medal.
Dante Exum said: "We're just ecstatic to get that one out of the way. Getting on the podium is not only huge for us as a team but for Australian basketball.
"We're definitely going to set this standard, that that's where we've got to be, and we're expected to be there every time."
Patty Mills contributed an outstanding 42 points to conclude his fourth Games, and Exum added: "Patty, I mean what do you say about Patty Mills?
"It's unbelievable what he brings on the court, off the court, to the culture of the Boomers. I hope that I can just carry that on when he steps down."
Denis Abliazin, David Belyavskiy, Artur Dalaloyan and Nikiti Nagornyy became the first European winners of the Olympic men's team event since 1996 on a tense Monday evening at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre.
Nagornyy went into the final routine on the floor knowing he had to make up for lower scores from Abliazin and Dalaloyan.
He stepped up under huge pressure, ensuring the ROC (262.500) edged out Japan (262.397) as China (261.894) had to settle for bronze.
Dalaloyan tore his Achilles in mid-April, yet he made an incredible recovery to take his place on the top step of the podium.
He said: "After an injury like this, I appreciate the work I did even more. And now I know all of the work I did wasn't for nothing. This medal is absolutely priceless.
"When I came to Tokyo, I still couldn't do the vault or the floor exercise. On the third or fourth day I was able to perform a little bit."
Asked about watching Nagornyy on the floor with gold on the line, he added: "The nervousness was unreal. We prepared for everything, especially the floor exercise.
"Before the floor exercise, we were deciding if Nikita would do the easy routine or hard one; we decided to go with the easy and stable routine because we knew what score we needed. We knew we had enough and he would be absolutely clean."
NISHIYA WANTS WORLDWIDE FAME
The first Olympic gold medal in the women's skateboarding went the way of Japanese teenager Nishiya in the street event.
Nishiya, at the age of 13 years and 330 days, became the second-youngest Olympic gold medallist after American diver Marjorie Gestring took the top prize in the 1936 Games (13y 268d).
Her triumph completes a clean sweep for the host nation in the street event of the skateboarding – a sport introduced for these Games – after Yuto Horigome's success in the men's competition at Ariake Urban Sports Park on Sunday.
Nishiya kept her nerve after Rayssa Leal of Brazil failed to land her final jump – she would have been the youngest ever individual Olympic champion.
Having missed the landing with her first two tricks, Nishiya registered a score of 15.26 after nailing her final three attempts, bettering Leal's 14.64. Nishiya had only just got a gold medal around her neck when she spoke of her plan to secure another.
"I want to be the famous one who everyone in the world knows. I want to win at Paris 2024, too," she said.
PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF FOR DALEY AS GB THRIVE
British diver Tom Daley won his first Olympic gold medal in his fourth Games, teaming up Matty Lee to take the synchronised 10m platform title.
The tears flowed for Daley, 27, on the podium after he and Lee ended a China dominance of this event that stretched back to the Sydney 2000 Games.
Two-time bronze medallist Daley and Lee finished with a score of 471.81, just 1.23 points ahead of silver medallists Cao Yuan and Aisen Chen at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, where ROC's Aleksandr Bondar and Viktor Minibaev took bronze.
Daley said: "To finally have this gold medal... I’ve been diving for 20 years, it’s my fourth Olympic Games. Lots of people would have counted me out, being the older person, but I'm in the best shape physically.
"I still can't honestly believe what is happening. That moment, being about to be announced as Olympic champions, I was gone. I was blubbering."
It was also a dream day for Tom Pidcock, who became the first Brit to win an Olympic medal of any kind in mountain biking and made it a gold.
There was no surprise when Adam Peaty became the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic swimming title in the 100 metres breaststroke, while Lauren Williams (taekwondo) and Alex Yee (triathlon) won silver medals.
DIAZ LIFTS HERSELF INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Hidilyn Diaz put her name in the record books by becoming the first athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal.
Diaz took the 55-kilogram weightlifting title on a historic day at the Tokyo International Forum,
She did so in style, finishing with an Olympic record total lift of 224kg, overtaking world record holder Qiuyun Liao of China with her final lift in the clean and jerk.
Zulfiya Chinshanlo took bronze for Kazakhstan.
Hafnaoui, who turned 18 in December, stormed home from lane eight to win the gold in a major shock, ahead of Australia's Jack McLoughlin and USA's Kieran Smith.
The 18-year-old's time of 3:43:36 beat his personal best by almost three seconds, while bettering his prelims time by two seconds.
"Of course I was surprised with myself. It's unbelievable," Hafnaoui said at the news conference.
"I believe when I touched the wall and I saw myself first. I was so surprised."
Hafnaoui was only the second Tunisian to ever make an Olympic swimming final and claimed his country's second medal in the pool.
"I was in tears, I was in tears in my eyes because when I see the flag of my country and I hear the anthem in the background, it was great," he said. "I’m so proud of it."
Australian quartet Bronte Campbell, Meg Harris, Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell broke the world record as they won gold in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay.
Anchored by Cate Campbell, the Aussies won in 3:29:69 ahead of Canada and the USA. It was Australia's first goal medal of the Tokyo Games.
The USA's Chase Kalisz won the men's 400m individual medley, while Japan's Yui Ohashi triumphed in the women's equivalent.
Top seed Barty bundled out, Osaka cruises
Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo stunned 2021 Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty in straight sets in the first round of the women's tennis singles.
Sorribes Tormo won 6-4 6-3 over the Australian, the world number one missing out on a first Olympic medal having looked well below her best.
The Spaniard controlled the baseline, while Barty only managed to land 42 per cent of her first serves.
Second seed Naomi Osaka cruised past Zheng Saisai 6-1 6-4 in her Olympic debut, returning to the court in style following a hiatus after her French Open withdrawal.
Third seed Aryna Sabalenka had no trouble dispatching Poland's Magda Linette 6-2 6-1.
Men's fourth seed Alexander Zverev eased past Lu Yen-hsun 6-1 6-3.
First-ever skateboarding gold
Skateboarding made its Olympic debut on Sunday, with local Yuto Horigome crowned the sport's first gold medallist in the men's street event.
World number two Horigome qualified in the semi-finals in sixth after scores totalling 33.75 but dominated the final with 37.18.
The Japanese finished ahead of Brazil's Kelvin Hoeffler with 36.15 and Jagger Eaton on 35.35.
Horigome landed three huge tricks in a row in the final, while American favourite Nyjah Huston stumbled down to seventh after four straight falls.
Olympic record in shooting final
Vitalina Batsarashkina won gold in the women's 10 metre air pistol shooting ahead of Bulgaria's Antoaenta Kostadinova and China's Jiang Ranxin.
The Russian tallied an Olympic record 240.3 points, finishing marginally ahead of Kostadinova on 239.4.
"I did not set a goal to win or to get into the top three or even into the final," she said. "I just set the goal to shoot like I can, to show everything that I can."
Chinese gold in diving
China won gold in the women's synchronized 3m springboard diving as Shi Tingmao and Wang Han edged out Canada and Germany.
The Chinese duo scored 76.5 with their last dive to tally 326.4 points and win China's fourth gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
The reigning world champions were well ahead of the pack, with Canadian pair Jennifer Abel and Melissa Citrini-Beaulieu grabbing silver with 300.78. Germany's Lena Hentschel and Tina Punzel claimed the bronze with 284.97.
The gold was Shi's third, having won the individual 3m platform title and this event with Wu Minxia in 2016.
Coming into Thursday's events, China boasted a seven-gold buffer as leaders but that was reduced by the USA's Katie Nageotte in the women's pole vault and Ryan Crouser in the men's shot put – the latter of which became a back-to-back Olympic champion.
More golds followed for the USA, with Nevin Harrison winning the women's single canoe 200m sprint – her country's first medal in either canoe or kayak sprint since 1992 – and David Taylor succeeding in the men's 86kg freestyle wrestling in the last second.
After shooting a blank the previous day, China ensured a five-gold gap going into Friday as the women's table tennis team continued their dominance, overcoming Japan to secure their fourth gold in four consecutive Games.
The table-toppers have now won all four of the women's diving events in Tokyo, too, as 14-year-old Quan Hongchan set a world record in the 10m platform, making it a China one-two with fellow teenager Chen Yuxi.
Defending Olympic champion Risako Kawai, who is also a three-time world champion, triumphed once more in the women's 57kg wrestling freestyle, meaning early leaders Japan remain in third with a gold count of 22.
Australia suffered shoot-out heartbreak in the men's hockey final but climbed up to fourth with men's kayak double 1000m sprint success and their first-ever Olympic gold medal in skateboarding, courtesy of Keegan Palmer's park win.
Their 17 gold medals at the Games with three days to go equalled Australia's best-ever haul, matching the total they collected at Athens in 2004.
The Russian Olympic Committee leaped up a spot to fifth as Zaur Uguev was crowned champion in the men's 57kg wrestling freestyle and Albert Batyrgaziev fought to gold in the men's featherweight boxing.
Great Britain, who now boast 16 medals after winning just the one event on Thursday, slipped back down to sixth position with Matthew Walls' omnium gold ending Team GB's frustrating unsuccessful spell in the cycling track events.
Daley burst onto the scene at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 at the age of 14, before going on to claim bronze medals at both the London and Rio Games.
But, along with Matty Lee, Daley got Team GB's second gold medal in Tokyo with a flawless final dive, ending China's dominance in the process.
China had won gold at every Olympics dating back to Sydney 2000, and Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen gave it an almighty effort in response to Daley and Lee's final score of 471.81.
Their late charge was in vain, though, with China's duo tallying up 470.58 – the appearance of that figure on the big screen inside the venue sending Daley and Lee into wild celebrations.
"I still can't honestly believe what is happening," an emotional Daley told BBC Sport. "That moment, being about to be announced as Olympic champions, I was gone. I was blubbering."
He added: "It's kind of unbelievable. I've dreamed, as has Matty, since I started diving 20 years ago, for this moment of becoming an Olympic champion. And it to take it to my fourth Olympic Games, when I think a lot of people probably would have not considered it to be my peak Olympic Games.
"I thought I was going to win an Olympic gold medal in Rio, and that turned out the complete opposite by a long shot. And it was my husband who said to me that my story wasn't finished, and my son or child – we didn't know at the time – needed to be there to watch me win an Olympic gold medal.
"And the fact that I can say that my son watched me become Olympic champion, albeit on TV and they couldn't be here, is just, it's such a great feeling."
It has been a tough road for Daley, who lost his father and mentor Rob to brain cancer in 2011, all while living life in the public eye ever since his remarkable rise in Beijing, and he revealed how close he came to not making it to Tokyo.
"Many times I've doubted that this moment would ever come. In 2018, I had broken shins, and I didn't know if I was going to be able to do my running platform take-offs again," he said.
"Starting off last year, I broke my hand, and then wasn't sure if I was going to get back in time for the Olympics last year and they got delayed with lockdown.
"And then I got all kinds of sick with everything that you could at that time. And that even up until June, I had a pretty bad knee injury. I haven't said this yet, but in June, I tore my meniscus and went under knee surgery and had to get it removed.
"And there was a chance that I wasn't actually going to be able to be here in the first place. So I'm just extremely happy and thankful to all of the physios, doctors, strength coaches, my coach for making it possible that I can even dive today."
Daley also feels the triumph could present a momentous moment for LGBTQ representation at the Olympics.
"It's just amazing that there's more LGBT representation at the Olympic Games, each Games that goes along," he said.
"When I was a little boy, I felt like an outsider, and felt different, and I felt like I was never going to be anything, because who I was, wasn't what society wanted me to be.
"I hope [that this] can give young kids hope and not feel so frightened and scared and alone, and to be able to see that no matter who you are, where you come from, you can become an Olympic champion, because I did."
It was a dominant final day of artistic gymnastics competition for China, with victory for Zou Jingyuan in the men's parallel bars and for Guan Chenchen in the women's beam final as she beat compatriot Tang Xijing and the returning Simone Biles.
China also took gold and silver in the men's 3m springboard final, which saw Xie Siyi claim the title ahead of Wang Zongyuan.
The United States are eight gold medals behind China, the American team winning two on Tuesday.
Athing Mu earned a stunning victory in the women's 800m, the 19-year-old prevailing in an outstanding final in which seven of the eight runners finished under one minute and 58 seconds.
The other USA gold on day 11 came from Tamyra Mensah-Stock in the women's 68kg freestyle wrestling.
After drawing a blank on Monday, Japan had athletes back on the top of the podium with two more gold medals, taking their total to 19.
Daiki Hashimoto claimed his second gold of the Games by winning the horizontal bar final and Sena Irie took the Olympic women's featherweight boxing title.
Japan have a five-gold buffer to Australia, who are fourth in the medal table with 14, while the Russian Olympic Committee and Great Britain are tied on 13 apiece.
Great Britain's performance on their water allowed them to move level with the Russian Olympic Committee, as they won two of the four sailing golds on offer on the day.
Daiki Hashimoto, 19, was the standout performer as he secured a last-minute win in the men's all-around gymnastic final, with China's Ruoteng Xiao and the Russian Olympic Committee's pre-event favourite Nikita Nagornyy settling for silver and bronze.
That win took the host nation to 13 golds, with Chizuru Arai in the women's 70kg judo – their eighth medal in the sport at the Games so far – and Yui Ohashi in the women's 200m individual medley the other victors.
China pulled one clear of the United States as they also collected three golds on Wednesday. Shi Zhiyong broke his own world record to win the men's weightlifting 73kg event, while Wang Zongyuan and Xie Siyi brought China's third diving gold at the Games with victory in the men's synchronised 3m springboard final.
The USA had to settle for silver in China's diving win, though they did pick up gold in the debut 3-on-3 women's basketball event by defeating the Russian Olympic Committee.
Katie Ledecky and Erica Sullivan captured an American one-two in the women's 1500m freestyle meaning only Michael Phelps (13) has more individual Olympic success than Ledecky.
The Russian Olympic Committee remain fourth despite not winning gold on a frustrating day that saw them finish runners-up in both 3x3 basketball events and the men's 4x200m freestyle relay.
Australia enjoyed a memorable day in rowing as they battled to back-to-back golds in both the male and female coxless four, with Ariane Titmus setting a Games record in the women's 200m freestyle to move the Australians up to six golds.
Due to Australia's success on the water, Great Britain's dominant five-gold run in the men's coxless four that stretched back to Sydney 2000 came to an end, though they did collect a first silver medal in men's quad sculls.
Tom Dean, who won gold on Tuesday, was part of the men's 4x200m freestyle team that picked up Team GB's only gold of the day as they moved down to sixth place.
Japan now have eight golds after winning Olympic titles in three different sports, the most unexpected of which came in table tennis.
The mixed doubles team of Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito came from two games down to eventually prevail after seven games against China's Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen.
China won all four table tennis titles at Rio 2016 and had been expected to dominate again, only to come unstuck as Japan won the first gold in this new event.
Further joy for Japan came as 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya triumphed in the women's street skateboarding while Shohei Ono was victorious in the men's 73kg category in judo.
Second behind Japan are the United States, who took two shooting golds on day three as well as the men's 4x100m freestyle title in the pool.
China did not add to their tally of six gold medals, one fewer than the USA, having come up short in another event where they had a team of heavy favourites.
Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen were edged out in the men's 10m synchronised platform, with British divers Tom Daley and Matty Lee winning gold.
That was one of three golds for Great Britain, who moved up to fifth in the medal table thanks also to Adam Peaty retaining his 100m breaststroke title and Tom Pidcock dominating in the men's cross-country mountain bike race.
The Russian Olympic Committee sits fourth after adding three golds, the headliner being victory in the men's artistic gymnastics team all-around final.
Meanwhile, Hidilyn Diaz made history for the Philippines, become the country's first Olympic gold medallist by prevailing in the women's 55kg weightlifting.
Japan now have 10 golds at the Games, five of which have come in Judo, despite home favourite Naomi Osaka crashing out to Czech world number 42 Marketa Vondrousova in the women's singles tennis.
The USA extended their gold medal count to nine, with 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby stealing the headlines courtesy of gold in the 100m breaststroke – their third in the pool so far – though they had to settle for silver in softball as they lost to table-toppers Japan.
China, who have dominated the shooting to win eight medals in nine events, picked up three more golds with success in the 10m air pistol mixed event, the 10m air rifle mixed event and the women's 10m synchronised platform - their second diving gold in Tokyo.
The Russian Olympic Committee remain fourth with seven golds after winning the day's big event, the women's team artistic gymnastics, but that was overshadowed due to American Simone Biles withdrawing due to concerns over her mental health.
The Russians surprised in the pool, too, with Evgeny Rylov claiming 100m backstroke gold that forced defending Olympic champion Ryan Murphy to settle for bronze – that result represented the USA's first backstroke defeat since the 1992 Barcelona games.
After team-mate Adam Peaty's call for a British gold surge, Tom Dean and Duncan Scott made history by winning the first British swimming one-two since 1908 in the 200m freestyle.
Dean and Scott's swimming achievements capped a positive day for Great Britain that saw them collect six medals in total to stay in fifth place.
Meanwhile, Flora Duffy made history for Bermuda with gold in the women's triathlon as the tiny Caribbean island became the smallest country to ever win Gold at the Summer Games.
China came into Saturday with a five-gold lead but double 4x400m relay success provided the platform for USA to make up ground.
Allyson Felix became the only American athlete to win 11 track medals as the women cruised to relay gold, while the men coasted to an 18th success as they finished well ahead, the Netherlands a distant second.
Team USA recorded their fourth successive gold in the men’s basketball final, plus there was success for Nelly Korda in the women's golf.
China picked up two golds to take their tally to 38, with Cao Yuan, who became the first athlete to win three different Olympic diving events, and Yang Jian securing a Chinese one-two in the 10m platform. Their other victory came in the women's canoe double 500m sprint.
Early leaders Japan collected a trio of triumphs, the first of which came in softball, while the Russian Olympic Committee also secured three golds, Abdulrashid Sadulaev dominating the men's heavyweight freestyle wrestling.
Galal Yafai captured Great Britain's 19th gold with a 4-1 points decision in the men's flyweight boxing final before Joe Choong added another by replicating Kate French's achievement in the men's version of the modern pentathlon.
Australia, who equalled their record medal haul at the Games on Thursday, remain in sixth place, Nicola McDermott's silver making history in the women's high jump with her country's first medal in the event since 1964.
Competing alongside Noah Williams, Daley claimed silver in the men's synchronised 10m platform event in the French capital, having previously won one gold and three bronze medals across his first four trips to the Games.
Daley effectively retired from the sport after winning gold in the synchronised 10m platform event at the delayed Tokyo Games three years ago, but he opted to return for a fifth Olympics this year, citing a desire to compete in front of his two children.
As Team GB returned to London on Monday, Daley confirmed his decision to the BBC, saying: "I'm really happy with how everything's gone.
"It's always hard when you say goodbye to your sport. Lots of things to process, but I think it's the right time.
"This year felt like such a bonus and I got to compete in front of my family, my kids. I got to be Team GB's flagbearer. So yeah, bucket list ticked off on every occasion.
"I want to be with my family. I'm really excited to be able to spend some time with them and just be able to feel a bit normal for a couple of days."
Daley is the most decorated diver in Team GB's Olympic history. He won bronze in the 10m event at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, as well as the synchronised 10m at Rio 2016, before taking gold in the latter event in Japan three years ago.
Daley, 29, won Olympic gold alongside Matty Lee in the men’s synchronised 10 metre platform at the Tokyo Games, his third Olympics after his debut as a teenager at London 2012.
The three-time world champion has taken two years out since then, saying he had “in theory retired”, but in a new YouTube video he said a recent trip to Colorado Springs in the United States had reignited his competitive spirit with a year to go until Paris.
Daley and his husband Dustin Lance Black travelled to Colorado for the birth of their second son, with Daley saying he had not realised its status as an Olympic city until they arrived. He then took eldest son Robbie to the museum there and felt inspired to attempt a return.
“Robbie said to me, ‘Papa, I want to see you dive in the Olympics’,” Daley said. “It has lit a new flame in me to see where this goes, I don’t know where this is going to go.
“I don’t know if this is going to be a completely silly idea of me getting back in the pool or an opportunity for me to do this recreationally and have a bit of fun without any pressure, or if my body is going to be able to get back on a diving board and dive half-decently.
“I don’t know what that’s going to look like. Paris 2024 is definitely a goal. I don’t know if it’s going to be possible but you never say never.”