Latest news with #Laugher
Straits Times
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
At 5,900m above sea level, British diver Jack Laugher finds springboard to next goal
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox British diving Olympic champion Jack Laugher has competed at nine world championships and four Olympics. SINGAPORE – Ahead of the 2025 season, British diver Jack Laugher sought inspiration far from the pool – some 5,895 metres above sea level on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Together with teammate Noah Williams, Laugher climbed Africa's highest mountain in October 2024, two months after the Paris Olympics, where they both finished on the podium. In Paris, Laugher claimed the men's 3m synchronised springboard bronze alongside Anthony Harding, while Williams earned a silver and a bronze in the men's 10m synchronised and 10m platform events respectively. Laugher may be used to throwing himself off platforms and springboards while executing twists and tucks mid-air, but this five-day trek up Kilimanjaro posed a very different challenge for him. He said: 'Going up Kilimanjaro for me and Noah was to test ourselves in something other than diving. 'We're so wrapped up in this little bubble of diving – I've never had a proper job, I've never really pushed myself in anything else because I've been so protected around my sport. 'So being able to go out and do something completely different really adds a lot to me, brings a lot of confidence in myself, knowing that I can do things that aren't just in this sport.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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The Kilimanjaro challenge appears to have worked well for him. In 2025, Laugher has already picked up a bronze and a silver in the World Aquatics Diving World Cup series, along with a bronze in the men's 3m synchronised at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore with Harding. His campaign in the Republic, however, ended on July 31 in disappointment. He finished 26th in the men's 3m springboard preliminary round with 360.80 points after a poor second dive, missing out on a place in the 18-man semi-final at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. Britain's Anthony Harding (left) and Jack Laugher took the men's 3m synchronised bronze at the World Aquatics Championships on July 28. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Despite the blip, the 30-year-old is already looking ahead to a fifth appearance at the Olympics. Now one of the veterans of the sport – he was one of seven divers aged 30 and over in a field of 65 in the men's 3m springboard – he feels he has more to give. He is the only remaining member of the 2012 London Olympics diving team, which included Olympic champion and four-time world champion Tom Daley who retired after the Paris Games. Laugher said: 'There's not many of us left now who've been going as long as I have, but I really enjoy the sport, I enjoy the competition. I enjoy trying to bring the best out of myself. 'I doubt very much that if I was to do a normal job, I'd get this level of adrenaline and excitement out of what I do so I'm taking every year as I can and I'm very, very lucky to still be here.' With four medals, including a gold, at the Olympics, Laugher is the second most successful British diver at the Games behind Daley, who has a gold, silver and three bronzes. He was also the first British diver to win an Olympic gold, achieving the feat with Chris Mears at the 2016 Rio Games in the men's 3m synchro springboard. With nine World Championships and four Olympics under his belt, Laugher hopes to use his experience to guide the younger divers. He said: 'I've had the amazing experience of being able to follow the Toms, the Pete Waterfields, even the Chris Mears, and I've been able to learn so much from them and I hope that I can implement some of that experience and knowledge on to them and set a positive tone for how professional you should be at a competition.' Having gone through three different pairings at the Olympics, Laugher is glad his partnership with Harding is going well. Harding, 25, said: 'It shows on the board how incredible divers we are, but we've definitely learnt over the years what we need from each other and that's what is super special – when we want to turn it on during the day, we both know what to do and we can trust each other and that's the biggest special thing that we have.'
Telegraph
25-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
I am an Olympic medallist but cannot afford a mortgage
December 2023 was the first time I ever received funding for my sport – more than six years into my career. Eight months later I won an Olympic medal in Paris. In those intervening months, I received only £11,000 in funding, making me one of the cheapest British medallists in Paris. Being an Olympic athlete is my dream job. It is all I ever wanted to be for as long as I can remember. But sometimes the financial reality can hit hard. This month UK Sport announced changes to the funding athletes receive. Whilst the improvements are a start, the risk of losing a generation of British athletes remains great. I now have something to show for the sacrifices I made in the years prior to the Olympics. Not all athletes can say the same and many are forced to give up just as they are on the cusp of making it, unable to afford the financial pressures any longer. To give some background on the UK Sport funding system, Athletic Performance Awards (APAs) are the direct payments athletes receive. These are managed by UK Sport and exclusively funded by the National Lottery. This is why you will often hear athletes thank the National Lottery post-races; without its support we quite simply would not be there. APAs work on set levels and are dependent on potential, performances and results. Each sport will have a certain number to allocate and requirements for each level. Although APAs are meant to help athletes afford their training and living costs while pursuing the Olympic or Paralympic podium, the problem lies in these grants having remained the same at all levels from 2012 to 2024. During this time inflation has increased by 40 per cent, meaning athletes on the top-level A grants are, in real-world terms, £11,000 a year worse off than their predecessors four Olympiads ago. As a consequence Olympic athletes may opt to fund themselves through other means. Most notably during the Paris Olympics it was revealed that Jack Laugher had set up an OnlyFans account to supplement the money he was receiving from his APA. Laugher is an Olympic gold medallist. This means he is in receipt of Podium level funding (£27,000 a year) and yet still struggles to financially afford his sport. It is a stark reality. Laugher is not alone. Whilst his way of affording his sporting and living costs may be a little quirkier than most, hundreds of athletes across Olympic sports will have all found various other sources of income. Sponsorship can be an option for some, but the vast number of Olympic medallists in the last few Games makes it hard to stand out, as does competing with the influx of social media influencers whom brands will prefer because of the sheer number of followers they have amassed on Instagram or TikTok. Many will have to rely on family support throughout their careers, but this can get a little wearisome as athletes approach their 30s. In my own career I have held a number of part-time jobs whilst pursuing rowing full-time. Nannying, coaching, working for an online shop – just a few of the roles I have found to fit around the intense training schedule, while also ensuring I can afford my rent and food each month. We train three sessions every day, 7am to 4pm, to have a job around that is difficult. There is no choice in the matter, to relax the training schedule would mean falling behind the rest of the world. Recovery is frequently compromised and it is no wonder young athletes will often suffer burnout before they make it to senior programmes, such is the stress of the different demands being balanced. Before December 2023, I was not deemed good enough by my national governing body to receive funding. I had not met the required performance targets and at the age of 25 was not viewed as having much potential. This changed when I finally broke into the senior team at the start of the Olympic season. I had rowed for six-and-a-half years by the time I received my first funding payment: £1,000 a month. Although it was a huge help, it was enough to cover rent and bills and little else. This increased to £1500 once I had gained selection in a boat, but again it meant that after the cost of food and fuel there was not much left over. As I attempted to qualify for the Olympics I was still packaging and posting shopping orders in my spare time, trying to afford the dream I was pursuing. The British Elite Athletes Association (BEAA) conducted a survey after the Paris Olympics which found 64 per cent of athletes would quit their careers should APAs not improve. This poses a 'significant threat to British sport' and could mean hundreds of athletes ending their sporting careers before they accomplish what they have set out to do. Had I not made the Olympic team in 2024 this is a decision I may have had to face. Years of putting my life on hold to pursue my dream was taking its toll and another four years of balancing work with training was an exhausting thought. While my situation has improved, helped in no small part by winning an Olympic medal, I am one of the lucky ones. But even now, as I pursue a gold medal at Los Angeles 2028, I will still have to find ways to supplement my APA income. My friends outside sport all live a completely different life to me. Many have started to buy houses, afford weddings and all have savings. I am years behind this and often feel as if I am still a student. A mortgage is a long way off and any increases in rent or bills fill me with dread. My sport is not alone in looking for sponsorship. British Rowing recognises the need to support its athletes and with the absence of bonuses in the UK for Olympic performances, sponsorship could at least bridge the gap a little to more affordable living. This is not a sob story. This is the life I have chosen to live and it is a privilege to be able to do my sport and get paid for it. However, the reality is British Olympic sport sits on the cusp of losing a generation of athletes who can no longer afford to pursue their sport at the highest level. Olympic dreams are being crushed before they have been given a chance.
