Before he was diving out of burning buildings and planes, action hero Jason Statham was diving off the 3m springboard for Team England.
The Hollywood star might have made his film debut in Guy Ritchie’s 1998 blockbuster ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ but if you look into the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games archives, you might just spot a 22-year-old Statham performing a reverse tuck into the pool.
Statham discovered his love for diving as a teenager when he saw a man perform a high dive on holiday in Miami and promptly joined a swimming club on his return.
“I was on holiday in Florida with my mum and dad,” Statham told the BBC in 2008. “And there was a guy who used to do a high dive at noon every day from one of the hotels we stayed in. And I said, ‘When we get home, I am going to do that.’
“I joined a club then, I was like 11 or 12 years old. Within a year, I was part of the British team and it gained momentum and I spent the next 10 years doing that.”
He slowly but steadily rose up the ranks on the domestic circuit and participated in the Olympic trials for both Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, sadly missing out on a place on the team.
However, the Commonwealth Games called and Statham participated in three diving events at the 1990 Games in Auckland, finishing eighth in the 1m springboard, and 11th in both the 3m springboard and 10m platform.
It was a performance that doesn’t fill him with inspiration but nevertheless, one that he believes helped elevate his passion and focus for acting.
“I think what I didn’t achieve [in sport] has probably helped me focus more and take my acting career more seriously,” said The Transporter star.
“The divers now are just terrific. I started too late. It probably wasn’t my thing. I should have done a different sport.”
Diving might now just be a footnote in Statham’s long and impressive career but he is still reaping the benefits of his skills, notably not using a stunt double for his diving scenes in the shark-thriller film ‘The Meg’.
And for all his future endeavours on the screen, Statham will always be a Team England athlete.
