Is Daley Thompson an Olympic Legend? You Can Bet on It!
Author:
Roy Brindley
Sky Documentaries has announced a brand-new feature documentary portraying the life of Britain’s double Olympic decathlon champion, Daley Thompson. It will make its debut on Sky Documentaries and NOW in July. Titled ‘Daley’, it will hit British television screens ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games hosted by Paris.
“With unprecedented access and never seen before archive, the film chronicles Daley’s legendary sporting achievements, from the streets of London’s Notting Hill to Greece’s Olympia, where his iconic event began during the Ancient Games,” says Sky.
Daley Thompson broke the decathlon world record four times. He was also unbeaten in competition for nine years. ?SkyGroup
For the first time, Thompson will reveal his struggles on his road to success and narrate a compelling story about the complex man behind the Olympian. Family, friends, and other sporting legends, including Caitlyn Jenner, Dame Denise Lewis, Lord Sebastian Coe, Linford Christie, and rival turned friend Jurgen Hingsen, offer their perspectives on the man they know so well.
The Greatest All-Rounder Has Done It All
2024 marks the fortieth anniversary of Daley’s second gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, a Games of global political boycotts and commercial profit. The legend shines a light on the issues that impacted athletics during his career: racism, drugs, commercialization and global politics. Thompson also offers a powerful commentary on a contemporary sporting world facing the very same issues and controversies today.
Reflecting on the forthcoming feature, an enthusiastic Jack Oliver, Head of Co-Productions at Sky, said: “With unprecedented access, exclusive archival footage, and a host of brilliant contributors, we hope to give viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the complex journey of one man, who became Britain’s greatest all-around athlete.”
For his part, Daley Thompson said: “It took me a long time to realize I was an introvert living an extroverted life, and I’ve been fortunate to keep most of that life to myself. Nearing pension hood, I’d like to share some of the good and a few disappointments with my kids who don’t believe any of my adventures – but mainly with people looking and hoping to be inspired.”
Daley Thompson, 1980 and 1984 Olympic Decathlon champion, stands tall amongst beaten rivals pic.twitter.com/TF2TNST4hY
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) October 31, 2016
Winning Golds for Team GB When It Was Not Easy to Do
Thompson was one of five Great British gold medal winners at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where 67 invited countries did not participate. Four years later, in Los Angeles, Thompson once again won a fifth of the British gold medal haul. This time, the games were boycotted by 18 countries and the Soviet Union.
Great Britain once again won precisely five gold medals at the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Rowers Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave delivered Great Britain its only gold in 1992. However, lottery funding, which started to back Great Britain’s finest athletes in 1997, has profoundly affected the nation’s fortunes since then.
At Sydney 2000, Great Britain won 11 golds. The 2004 Athens Games produced nine. Beijing saw 19 golds awarded, London resulted in 29, Rio brought 27 victories, and the delayed Tokyo Olympics yielded 22?golds.
You Can Bet the USA Will Win, but Dean Is a Weapon
Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics, recently stated Great Britain’s 2024 Olympic team is “expected to produce a similar performance to the last Olympics.”
Tom Dean could be Team GB’s most successful athlete at the Summer Games. Responsible for two of the nation’s golds at Tokyo 2020 – in the 200-metre freestyle and 4 x 200-metre freestyle relay – the swimmer has since been sweeping up medals at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships.
Dean now wants to reach a never-before-achieved feat. “I sat down with my coach, and we said five medals are on the cards,” he recently told the BBC. “We want to do it, we’re able to do it, and it would be the most ever from a Team GB athlete at one Games,” the 23-year-old confidently added.
Online betting sites quote Great Britain on 100/1 to win the most gold medals at the forthcoming Games. The USA is trading as the 1/5 favorites in the Olympic betting. China appears set to enjoy great success and is just 7/2 to top the gold medal table. The host nation, France, is trading on 66/1.
The 2024 Olympics will officially open on July 26, and, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium. It is set to be held in the heart of the city along its main artery, the River Seine.
