Daley
Olympic Superstar
Published on 8. July 2024
Book
Hardback
232 pages
978-1-916556-48-5 (ISBN)
Description
'He's the greatest Olympian Britain has ever produced' Lord Sebastian Coe
DALEY Is the long-awaited autobiography of the life of double Olympic decathlon champion, Daley Thompson.
Wearing his heart on his sleeve, he chronicles his legendary sporting achievements, but, for the first time, also reveals the personal struggles he faced to rise from the humblest of beginnings to become the ultimate Olympic Superstar, who then had to reconcile what he had become with his own humanity as a son and as a father.
At his sporting peak, Daley was a charismatic, uncompromising, anti-establishment superhero. That was the public persona the nation loved, and which inspired a generation of Britons to realise that a young Black man could be our hero. But the introvert Daley didn't want to be 'famous' for anything other than his sporting achievements. He was, and remains, the antithesis of today's social media obsessed 'celebrity'. For him, the pure Olympian, it was only ever about the sport and the winning. Much as Daley may be cast as 'unrelenting, invincible for ten years', his sporting supremacy was a product of his singular willpower and courage. He is an invention of his own making, inherently human and born of an Olympian ideal that we all admire, yet with all the same flaws and frailties as the rest of us.
Now, for the first time, he tells his story, no punches pulled.
DALEY Is the long-awaited autobiography of the life of double Olympic decathlon champion, Daley Thompson.
Wearing his heart on his sleeve, he chronicles his legendary sporting achievements, but, for the first time, also reveals the personal struggles he faced to rise from the humblest of beginnings to become the ultimate Olympic Superstar, who then had to reconcile what he had become with his own humanity as a son and as a father.
At his sporting peak, Daley was a charismatic, uncompromising, anti-establishment superhero. That was the public persona the nation loved, and which inspired a generation of Britons to realise that a young Black man could be our hero. But the introvert Daley didn't want to be 'famous' for anything other than his sporting achievements. He was, and remains, the antithesis of today's social media obsessed 'celebrity'. For him, the pure Olympian, it was only ever about the sport and the winning. Much as Daley may be cast as 'unrelenting, invincible for ten years', his sporting supremacy was a product of his singular willpower and courage. He is an invention of his own making, inherently human and born of an Olympian ideal that we all admire, yet with all the same flaws and frailties as the rest of us.
Now, for the first time, he tells his story, no punches pulled.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
With dust jacket
Illustrations
7 Illustrations, black and white; 23 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-916556-48-5 (9781916556485)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Daley Thompson won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times. He was unbeaten in competition for nine years.
With a total of four world records, two Olympic gold medals, three Commonwealth titles, and wins in the World and European Championships, Thompson is considered by many to be the greatest decathlete of all time. He is also described by many commentators as the greatest all-round athlete the United Kingdom has ever produced.
With a total of four world records, two Olympic gold medals, three Commonwealth titles, and wins in the World and European Championships, Thompson is considered by many to be the greatest decathlete of all time. He is also described by many commentators as the greatest all-round athlete the United Kingdom has ever produced.