Jack Laugher has sights set on competing at Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Jack Laugher should have been in Tokyo this week for what potentially could have been his Olympics swansong – but now he has his sights set on competing at the Paris 2024 Games.

Laugher, who won gold at the 2016 Rio Games in the 3m Springboard Synchro with Chris Mears and silver in the individual competition, admitted he had been thinking of retiring after the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

However, the postponement of this year’s Olympic Games due to the coronavirus pandemic has made Laugher change his mind.

He said: “I was really looking forward to being able to compete at the Olympics and then take a good amount of time off, let myself rest and my body regenerate itself really.

“Now I guess what’s going to happen is we’ll be competing in 2021 then I’ll take a little break and then compete at 2022 at the Commonwealth Games.

“My original aim about six years ago was going through to 2022 and maybe hang up the trunks there but I think I’d like to go through to 2024 if I can.

In a good position still

“I’ll be 29 years old. I might not be doing all the events that I’m doing right now – I might just be doing synchronised diving or just individual – but I’d really like to continue going as long as my body and my mind are in shape

“I’d really enjoy to just keep training and keep competing.”

Laugher said he was disappointed the Games had been postponed but agreed it was the right call.

“Of course, health wise I completely agree with it, it’s the absolute right decision to make with everything that’s going on,” he said.

“I’m slightly disappointed that it’s not this year because I’ve been training for this for the past three-and-a-half years now for these dates.

“I’ve also got to fend off other athletes for another year so it is quite difficult. But I think with my previous experience and training, I’m smarter than I was five or six years ago so I’d say that I’m in a good position still.”