British diving fans shed tears for 'adorable 'Daley - Vancouver Sun

LONDON . Heartbreak, oh heartbreak. It is something that the crowd at the aquatics centre Monday knew only too much about, the majority of them being teenage girls. British favourite Tom Daley may not have won a medal - not yet, anyway - but by the end of a tense synchronized diving final, he at least hadn't lost the affections of the legions of adolescent fans who had turned out to see him compete.

If anything, it made them love him only more. They wanted to cuddle him, to console him, to smother him in kisses. Even the thirty something journalist from Los Angeles sitting next to The Daily Telegraph was in love. "Who is this guy?" she gushed. "He is totally adorable!"

Earlier, Daley had walked out to a reaction that was Bieber-like in its proportions. It was not just the epic tan and the tiny shorts and his habit of flitting between the jacuzzi and the shower and drying himself down with a small towel in between - though obviously these things helped.

It was also the fact that at just 18, this man-child has been through more than many people twice his age. Last year, his father, Robert, died of a brain tumour, at the age of 40. Anyone doubting the poignancy of Thomas Robert Daley's second Olympics had only to read the message he tweeted early Monday: "After the toughest year of my life, today is the day! I just want to thank everyone for all their support no matter what the outcome x."

And what support he received. Daley was taking part in the synchronized 10-metre final with his partner, Pete Waterfield, but outside the Aquatics Centre, Waterfield was mostly referred to as "the other one." Emily Fairweather, 15, and her sister Tash, 17, had come with "TOM" written across their foreheads.

On one of their arms, they had written the question most of the women here wanted to ask: "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" What was it that they liked about him? "He's just so char-ismatic and talented," Emily said. "And he is very brave," Tash said.

Rebecca Crummett, 15, had come from Warwickshire with her brother and her mother. She said she loved Daley's "face, and his hair, and his six pack."

Francesca Clarke, 17, was quick to sum up just why she loved Daley. "He is beautiful," she sighed, "and sun-kissed. But he's also a role model. He trains hard and does his schoolwork - he got all A grades in his exams, and I could never do that on top of preparing for the Olympics. He's got the looks, the brains, and hopefully the medal."

Sadly, it wasn't to be. A mistake on their fourth dive saw the duo slip to fourth.

After the final, won by the Chinese, he spoke with the kind of maturity that belied his years. "It started really well and we got personal bests on the first two dives, and the third dive was really good, but the fourth was not good enough. You miss one dive and you are gone. It's annoying but what can you do?"

Daley will get another chance when he takes part in the individual diving. Talking on Twitter, he gave fans something to help with the heartbreak: "so sorry everyone but we tried our best and you can't afford to miss a dive at this standard - bring on individual!"