Tom Daley believes partner Peter Waterfield will go back on his word and extend his diving career beyond the next Commonwealths – and up to the Rio Olympics of 2016.

The Southampton-based Waterfield, who won Olympic silver in the 10m synchro with Leon Taylor at Athens 2004, saw a poor fourth dive of six condemn him and Daley to an agonising fourth-place finish at London 2012.

Daley went on to claim bronze in the individual event while Waterfield, 31, failed to make it out of the preliminary round with suggestions that he would retire in the aftermath mooted.

However, that hasn’t been the case with British Diving’s performance director Alexei Evangulov announcing that Waterfield and Daley will remain together until the 2014 Commonwealths.

And, while Evangulov is keen to find an alternative with Daley himself eyeing Jack Laugher or Southampton Diving Academy member Chris Mears, Daley expects Waterfield to carry on until the next Olympics in 2016.

“I am going to continue diving with Pete, he has said that he intends to retire after the Commonwealths,” said Daley.

“But the thing with Pete is that you can never tell what he’s going to do next.

“I love diving with him and I hope that we can continue.

“You don’t want to be making changes during an Olympic cycle ideally.

“It would not surprise me at all if Pete was still diving come Rio 2016, and that would be fantastic.”

 

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