Aldridge dives into the limelight with Daley

By Tom Pilcher

LONDON (Reuters) - Obscured by 14-year-old diving prodigy Tom Daley's sudden rise to fame is the struggle of his synchronised partner Blake Aldridge for recognition.

Since Aldridge began his love affair with diving two decades ago, the London-born 25-year-old has had to deal with numerous setbacks, most notably the death of his previous diving partner Gavin Brown in a hit-and-run incident in April last year.

Aldridge was selected last month to represent Britain in the men's 10-metre synchronised diving at the Beijing Olympics and he is coming to terms with the interest in his sport generated by Daley's precocity.

"I've dived for 21 years and all of that has gone unnoticed," Aldridge told Reuters at the Southampton Diving Academy in southern England. "I was a junior world champion at the age of 17 and I struggled to get on the news."

There is, though, no bitterness, in Aldridge's tale.

"I'd be the first person to turn around and say I'm loving it," Aldridge said almost disbelievingly.

"I've had so many problems throughout my career, such as injuries, but I've never given up and it just so happens the fact that I haven't given up suddenly paid off."

His coach Lindsey Fraser dived in two Olympic Games (Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984) and has also seen a shift since Daley's arrival on the scene.