Leon Taylor

• Born: 2 November 1977

Leon Taylor

Leon Taylor enjoyed sustained success as a competitive diver at the highest level for two decades.

He took up the sport at the age of eight and was national champion only three years later.

His impressive performances saw him become part of the British team for 16 years and he competed at the 1996 Atlanta, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

The pinnacle of his career came in Greece, where, alongside partner Peter Waterfield, he won an Olympic silver medal in the Men’s 10m Synchro.

Podium places were also secured in the 10m Platform as Taylor represented England in the 1998 Kuala Lumpur and 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.

He also won medals at the European and World Championships.

A legacy from his career was the 1998 invention of the ‘world’s most difficult dive’ – the 5255b.

The back two-and-a-half somersaults, two-and-a-half twists carried a tariff of 3.8 when it was first performed.

Taylor retired from competitive diving in 2008 but is still actively involved in the sport.

He has been a member of the British Olympic Association athletes commission, commentated on diving for the BBC and has been a mentor to a number of divers, including Olympic champion Tom Daley.

Taylor has also delivered mentoring workshops for the charity, SportsAid, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam in 2015 for the work he had done on their mental wellness strategy.