Matty Lee won gold in the Men’s 10m synchro alongside Tom Daley at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and has now announced his retirement after his absence from the 2024 Paris Olympics due to spine surgery.
The 26 year old announced his retirement on Instagram, stating that after 20 years in the sport it is time for him to step away.
He went on to say that after losing his Dad in 2022 he has struggled to find the same passion for diving and with recent injuries and surgeries he felt it was time to end his career.
Olympic diver Matty Lee, who won a gold medal at Tokyo 2020, has announced his retirement at the age of 26.
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) February 27, 2025
Lee famously won gold alongside Tom Daley in the men’s synchronised 10m platform in Tokyo. 🥇
Wishing you all the best for the future, Matty. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/5eDoVNJAN2
Lee made his debut at the world stage in 2015 at the young age of 17, where he won a gold medal in the 10 meter platform at the 2015 European games in Baku.
2017 saw more success for the Brit as at the 2017 European Diving Championships, winning bronze in the Men’s 10m and gold in the Mixed 10m Platform Synchro alongside Lois Toulson, the same pair went on to win another silver together later on in the year.
The iconic partnership of Lee and Daley begun in October 2018 with their first medal together being bronze at the 2019 World Aquatics Championship in South Korea.
They won multiple gold’s together in 2021, one at the FINA Diving World Cup in Japan in the Synchronised 10m platform and another at then won gold at the same event in the European Championships.
Later on that year the duo won gold together at the Tokyo Olympics with a score of 471.81, narrowly beating Chinese duo Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen to the gold medal.
Lee won his last ever gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where he partnered Noah Williams in the Synchronised 10m event.
The Leeds-born diver was appointed an MBE in the 2022 New Years Honour’s List for his services to diving.
The gold medalist had to have spine surgery in March 2024 due to a bulging disc, this ruled him out of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games due to the recovery time.
What’s next for Lee after his shock retirement?
“What’s next? Honestly I don’t know. And that’s both terrifying and exciting. But I do know this. There’s more to life than diving, and I’m ready for it.” Is what the former diver had to say on his Instagram.
If anything, this shows how cruel the sporting world can be, as it forces another victim to retire due to injury.
