The world knows him as one of the finest action movie stars, someone who has made a name for himself portraying hard-boiled, gritty, and tough characters on-screen. However, the star of movies like Transporter, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, The Expendables, and so many more action flicks, didn’t always set out for a path in Hollywood. British actor Jason Statham once sincerely pursued his passion for diving, even competing at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. However, failing to make it to the Olympics and not going far into the sport made him shift to act later on.
Jason Statham made his debut in 1998 with the Guy Ritchie movie Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Up until a few years prior to that, the Englishman was still jumping from heights into a pool. Years later, he expressed his disappointment on the matter.
Jason Statham once looked back at his diving performance at Commonwealth Games with fondness
A recent article by the Olympics page looked back on the storied history of Jason Statham as a diver. With a net worth of around $90 million today, it is assumable that Statham has achieved everything he aspired for and is bereft of any regrets. Yet, the 55-year-old actor has this one regret tucked deep inside his heart, failing to make it to the Olympics.
Jason Statham’s biggest career moment in sports was at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, where he represented England. He took part in 3 events – the 1-meter springboard, the 3-meter springboard, and the 10-meter platform. He ranked 8th, 11th, and 11th n each of those competitions in that order.
Although that didn’t automatically mean the end of his diving career, Statham only went on for a few more years but failed to qualify for the Olympics. He learned a great lot from diving, something which has helped him immensely in his movie career.
Despite not going far, his learnings from his diving career helped him in movies
Jason Statham told BBC in 2008, “I think what I didn’t achieve (in sports) has probably helped me focus more and take my acting career more seriously”. The action star, who does a lot of his own stunts, helped him with the stamina and agility demanded of an athlete, to perform his own action scenes. In 2003, he also told IGN that diving and representing England was a “great experience”. It taught him “discipline, focus, and certainly keeps you out of trouble”.
It was as if Statham took all the positivities out of his diving career and utilized it perfectly in his movie career. A nice blend was formed that made his image in the industry. While he may look back at his sporting life and recognize certain failures, he can also take plenty of heart from the fact that he made a successful transition very soon. A task that’s even tougher. Diving, on the other hand, has changed a lot since Statham’s time in it, and has progressed tremendously over its 108 year history in Olympics.