Not-so-old Blake cut out of spotlight

9:03am Friday 4th July 2008

Blake Aldridge has revealed he has no problem with diving partner Tom Daley's high-profile providing he is not the forgotten man should they claim Olympic gold.

The 10m synchronised diving stars claimed the UK title in Sheffield at the weekend rubberstamping their place on the plane bound for Beijing in August.

They claimed Great Britain's first ever World Series gold medal on home turf after scoring a perfect ten dive in the final at the FINA World Cup in Sheffield last month.

Daley, 14, will be the second youngest Brit ever to compete at an Olympics and has attracted the lion's share of the media spotlight since the duo came together.

They among the favourites for a medal in China having beaten each of their prospective opponents at events over the last 12 months.

But Aldridge, who learnt to swim at Linden Lodge School in Wandsworth, where his mother still works, doesn't mind the extra attention his child prodigy team mate gets - providing he comes home with a medal.

"We both bring something to the team I think. Tom's youthful enthusiasm and no fear approach to competition really rubs off on you. It makes us better as a pair," he said.

"To have a young prodigy in the sport is great thing for diving at the end of the day.

"It can be a little annoying. When we won the World Cup there were pictures of Tom at the medals ceremony everywhere. I was standing on the podium next to him but was cut out of most of them.

"I hold nothing against him that is just the way the British press works. We both know how hard we work for each other.

"I wouldn't say we are favourites. No-one is expecting us to win. We are capable of getting a medal, but it is more about getting the experience of an Olympics under our belts."

Aldridge, sponsored by Team B&Q, has enjoyed a spectacular rise, but until Olympic silver medalist Leon Taylor announced his retirement from the sport last month, he was not assured of a space in the British team.

But having booked his place, the 25-year-old is not simply content with one appearance at Games - he maintains London 2012 remains the main target.

"Four years is a long time, but I'm certainly not at a ripe old age yet and there are plenty of divers still on the circuit competing beyond the age of 30," he added.

"I'm very young minded and Tom helps with that aspect of things. Providing my body holds up and I look after myself I see no reason why I can't compete in 2012."