Jason Statham, now a Hollywood star worth an estimated £74.26 million, once represented England in diving at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. He competed in three events, finishing eighth in the one-metre springboard and 11th in both the three-metre and 10-metre events.
A Career That Almost Was
Statham, now 59, was ranked 12th in the world for platform diving during his career but missed out on the Olympics after competing in trials for the 1988 Seoul Games and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Diving was dropped from the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, though it was a highlight of Statham's sporting career decades ago.
Reflecting on his Olympic disappointment, Statham said at the Mechanic: Resurrection premiere in 2016, "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 added, "I started too late. It probably wasn’t my thing. I should have done a different sport."
From Diving to Acting
Statham's passion for diving began after watching a high-dive during a family holiday. He joined the British National Diving School in 1985 but believes his sporting setbacks fueled his acting ambition. "I think what I didn’t achieve (in sports) has probably helped me focus more and take my acting career more seriously," he told the BBC in 2008.
He transitioned to modeling for brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Levi's, and French Connection before meeting director Guy Ritchie, who gave him his first role in the 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, alongside childhood friend Vinnie Jones. The pair also appeared together in Snatch.
A Lasting Impact
Reflecting on his diving career, Statham told IGN in 2003, "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. Diving was obviously a hobby of mine, and being an amateur sport you can't earn any money at that. 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."
Despite his acting success, Statham hasn't forgotten his diving skills. Last year, photos emerged of him diving off a yacht while on holiday with his family in Positano, Italy.
