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.

One of Knight-Wisdom’s highlights came outside the competitive arena as he found a fresh wind for competition from coaching a group of young divers in Edinburgh.

“Yes, I coached them, but they might be too young to truly understand how much they helped me. They gave me a sense of purpose away from my own diving career. Their excitement to see me at the Olympics motivated me to keep pushing,” he revealed.

Another experience that had a lasting impact on the British-born diver was being named one of Jamaica’s team captains for the Paris Games—a moment he described as “super cool.”

“My co-captain was the legendary Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. In my eyes, this was a huge step for Jamaica because never before had a non-track and field athlete from the diaspora taken this role. It shows that Jamaica can be about more than track and field, and our global presence is a strength that must continue to be celebrated and supported,” Knight-Wisdom opined.

Traveling is an inevitable part of a professional athlete’s life, and for Knight-Wisdom, 2024 brought smoother experiences compared to previous years.

“Fortunately, all my trips were more straightforward last year, and it will be nice to travel in the future without having to worry about performance or how my body will cope with time changes,” he shared.

According to Knight-Wisdom, October marked the beginning of what he labelled “Yona 2.0” as he transitioned to life after diving. That included a move to London, where the support of friends and partner Kira Rothwell eased the transition.

Prior to that, Knight-Wisdom returned to Kingston to deliver the second edition of his diving camp that combined sport with outreach.

“This year, it was about more than the diving. I ventured into the country to meet young men who have created their own style of diving using whatever they have available. I even met with the Minister of Sport to discuss what needs to be done to establish diving as an accessible sport in Jamaica,” he explained.

“The camp itself was a great success, and every one of the participants came away with a positive experience and hopes to continue, but the lack of infrastructure and programmes means it's not possible... yet," Knight-Wisdom added.

After years of rigorous training and travel, Knight-Wisdom prioritized spending more time with family and friends and also fulfilled a dream by attending his first Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone and even drove a single-seater car on the iconic track.

“We had sunshine, rain, wind, rain again, then more sunshine, and at the end of the day Lewis Hamilton won his ninth British GP. The energy was insane, and it was hugely motivating for me going into Paris,” he said.

“Lewis' recent struggles with his Mercedes have been well documented, yet he never gave up and the stars aligned on a magical day. That gave me hope that, despite my struggles in diving that season, I just had to keep showing up and working hard, and eventually I would be rewarded with a good performance,” Knight-Wisdom noted.

For Knight-Wisdom, Paris was not just about personal achievement but also about community and a fitting way to cap his 20-year diving career, which spanned three Olympics and countless memories.

“I’ve never had this many people come to watch me dive before, like in Paris, and just looking at those pictures fills me with more emotion than I’m comfortable with, and I don’t think that’ll ever change,” the towering athlete standing over six feet tall declared.

“Though I ultimately fell short of my main objective in Paris, I never gave up when the going got tough. Whether I won or lost, I always remained humble. I recognized my status as a role model and always tried to be a positive example for the next generation of athletes,” Knight-Wisdom ended.