Since entering the public spotlight in 2008 with his performance at the summer olympics, where he was Britain’s youngest competitor, Tom Daley has gone on to become one of our foremost sporting personalities and a household name. Now he has released a fantastic memoir, detailing his rise to the top of his sport and his hopes for the future. You can find out more about the book over on Tesco Direct!

Why did you want to write a book?

At first the idea was for the book to be more pictorial, but then when I started to think about it I realised that even though I’m only 17 I’ve experienced quite a lot already and wanted to put something down on paper.

What will people enjoy most in the book?

The amount of photos and the deep insight into my life in the pool and out!

How many times do you reckon you’ve practised each dive you’re doing in the Olympics?

Thousands of times!

What do you think about whilst you’re diving?

The process of each dive, you can’t allow your mind to wander because that is when diving goes wrong!

When you jump off the board, do you keep your eyes open?

Always. It would be really dangerous if I were close my eyes at any point. You need to know exactly where you are throughout the dive and you need to keep your eyes open in order to do that.

Do you get scared when you try a new dive?

It’s always nerve wracking when you try a new dive for the first time. But it’s a gradual process so you can prepare yourself psychologically.

Have you had any You’ve Been Framed style diving injuries and what happened?

I’ve hit my head a couple of times on the diving board and have the scars to prove it. Over the years I’ve probably had a number of bad entries into the water that could have definitely got me on You’ve Been Framed!

How do you decide which dives to do in a competition?

It’s really about having a competitive tariff of difficulty to make sure you can be up there with the best divers in the World. I’ve got one of the hardest lists of dives, which means if I dive well then I can be right up there.

What do you think are your chances of winning Gold at the Olympics?

There are 8 divers in the World that have a real chance of winning Gold. Qui Bo is the current World Champion, but with diving it’s all about how you perform on the day.

Who are your sporting idols?

I think what Steve Redgrave achieved is incredible. To go to 5 Olympic Games and come away with a Gold each time is incredible. But the Canadian diver Alexandre Despatie, has been my idol for years.

What ambitions do you have beyond the 2012 Olympics?

I’m competing at the Junior World Championships in Adelaide in October, so I’ll have a couple of weeks off after the Olympics and then it will be back to training. I want to go to Rio, and who knows beyond that. Diving off a 10m means puts a lot of impact on your body, so quite often with divers it’s about how long you can stay injury free.

We’ve got a fantastic competition to watch Tom in training and have the opportunity to meet him afterwards! For your chance to win, click here to enter.

Buy My Story by Tom Daley, online from Tesco Direct for just £7.46