Gold Medalist Diver Matty Lee to Miss Paris Olympics after Spinal Surgery
Olympic gold medalist Matty Lee of Great Britain will miss the Paris Olympics this summer after undergoing spinal surgery.
Lee posted to social media that he underwent a discectomy on his L5/S1 disk. The procedure treated chronic pain that the 26-year-old had been suffering through.
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Lee and Tom Daley teamed to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics in men’s 10-meter platform synchro. He and Daley won gold at the 2020 European Championships. Lee is the owner of three World Championships medals, two in synchro (one with Daley, one with Noah Williams) and in mixed synchro with Lois Toulson.
A native of Leeds Lee did not dive at either the 2023 or 2024 World Aquatics Championships. Daley and Williams were Great Britain’s men’s synchro pair, finishing fourth in 2023 and earning a silver medal in 2024. Kyle Kothari and Williams represented Great Britain at each of the last two World Champions in men’s platform diving.
Lee made his senior international debut at the 2014 FINA World Cup.
“This season so far has been really tough, felt like I’ve been dragging myself through the dirt,” Lee wrote in part. “In a weird way I’ve been put out [of] my misery but it’s also forced me to look after myself and that’s what’s important.”