Daley's dreaming of golden moment

The 14-year diving star revealed he had enjoyed a celebrity treatment since arriving at the Games, meeting world No1 tennis player Rafael Nadal and having breakfast in the village this morning with Jamie Murray.

He said he received a boost this morning when, in the dining hall, he met his idol, the Canadian Alexandre Despatie, who was 13 when he won the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Daley will take part in today's opening ceremony before being reunited tomorrow with a dozen family and friends - including his parents, three brothers and four grandparents - who have come to support him.

He will become the second youngest British Olympian aged 14 years and 94 days when his first event, the 10-metres synchronised dive, begins on Monday afternoon.

He said: "Since arriving in the village it's been amazing. It's massive going into the foodhall and the games room. It's a phenomenal experience and I just can't wait to get out there and compete now. I'm really excited."

Asked whether he agreed with Sir Matthew Pinsent's view that the village atmosphere was like a "school disco", Daley said: "I don't know. I haven't really been to school. I don't get to go there very often."

Daley said he was drawing on his experience of competing at international events but was also being advised by his two mentors - Olympic diving silver medallist Leon Taylor and Redgrave.

He said Redgrave had helped him to overcome insomnia ahead of the competition by assuring him it would not affect his performance. "Since he's told me lack of sleep won't affect my diving, I've been able to sleep," Daley said.

Daley also revealed he had become a star in the host city. "In China diving is quite a big sport so walking round the streets and in the village some people recognise you," he said. "It's kind of weird because when you are little you always dream of being famous, it's kind of weird to start becoming that."

Daley is the European champion in the individual 10m platform event and won a bronze in the World Cup series earlier this year with his partner, Blake Aldridge, in the 10m synchro event. But he continued to play down his prospects of a medal.

"It's always been my dream to win an Olympic medal but I'm not expecting to win one here. I'd like to work a bit harder going into London 2012 and see what happens," he said. Aldridge, Daley's diving partner and room-mate in the village, said he was learning to live with the tennagers quirks. "He's the messiest person in the team and it's a bit spooky when you wake up every morning with a toy monkey [Daley's good luck charm] staring at you," he said.

Diving performance director Steve Foley denied that the focus on Daley was a distraction to the rest of the squad. He said: "It's great that the world of diving can have a non-Chinese star. He's had a good impact in the team: the way he handles the pressure has helped raise everyone else's game."

Foley said the sport had benefited from eight years' lottery funding, enabling them to enter an athlete in every event in diving, and qualifying for the first time for the synchronised events. He said the youth of the squad - 80 per cent of team are at their first Olympics - gave cause for optimism in 2012.

He added: "If this team could stay together for London it would be an extremely strong and confident team and we will use this as a springboard for success in 2012."

Foley admitted that China could win gold and silver in most events and possibly sweep the board. He said: "The important thing is not to be afraid of them. China have got everything to lose in diving because they are so dominant."

But he predicted that Daley and his partner could break that dominance.

He added: "The men's platform synchronised and the men's platform individual are both wide open," he said.