Jason Statham, now a household name for his roles battling villains in action-packed films, initially set out on a very different path, hoping for a career in Olympic diving.
The star of the Fast and Furious series and the Transporter trilogy has become one of Hollywood’s top earners but he originally wanted to represent GB in the aquatic sport, which has sent viewers wild this year thanks to the tiny shorts athletes are wearing.
Diver Jules Bouyer has sent fans into a frenzy with his tight trunks as viewers joke he’s ‘leading by inches’, while a Dutch swimmer has some asking “is this legal?” after his choice of swimwear.
However, long before Jason Statham became a fixture on the big screen, he was pursuing gold of a different sort as a young athlete.
With a dual interest in football and diving during his youth, Statham reached commendable heights in the latter sport.
“And it was a great experience, you know, to travel the world and compete at a certain level. It teaches you discipline, focus, and certainly keeps you out of trouble,” Statham reflected during a 2003 interview with IGN.
Jason was a dedicated athlete, training daily in the pool as part of Britain’s National Diving Squad for over a decade. He even represented England in the 1990 Commonwealth Games, showcasing his skills in the 10 metre, 3 metre and 1 metre events.
However, during a pivotal moment in his diving career, the Snatch star made a critical error while performing a triple somersault, which resulted in a disappointing score of 13.86.
Following an uncomfortable landing, Jason was fortunate to walk away unscathed, but this mishap marked his final appearance at a significant competition, with the Olympics remaining an elusive dream.
“It’s a bit of a sore point I never got to the Olympics. I just heard they got seven million or something for the diving per year. They deserve it. The divers we’ve got now are just terrific,” he expressed regretfully.
Acknowledging that he began his diving journey relatively late, Jason speculated that perhaps another sport would have been more suited to him.
Despite once being ranked 12th in the world for platform diving, Jason failed to secure a spot in the Seoul Olympics in 1988 or the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
“I used to compete on a 10-meter platform and 3-meter springboard, which is not necessarily very high but we used to do a certain amount of gymnastic tricks off there. We’d do backwards three-and-a-halves. You know, like Greg Louganis,” he reminisced about his diving techniques.
Ultimately, facing the financial challenges of being an amateur diver, Jason decided to hang up his diving suit and pursue other ventures.
“Diving was obviously a hobby of mine, and being an amateur sport you can’t earn any money at that,” he said. “So I used to put money in my pocket while working on the street corners, selling perfume and jewellery, and other goods that were supposedly expensive.”
Jason Statham left behind the world of diving but kept his celebrity status as he was discovered at a sports centre and offered a modelling gig.