Teenage star falls to defeat on comeback in Yorkshire

But the world champion, who is still only 15, had to settle for second place at the national championships after attempting one of the most difficult dives in the sport – the Twister. "The main thing going into this competition was to do the new dive well and I did so I am happy with that," he said.

After winning his world title in Rome last summer, Daley acknowledged coming second might not be a bad thing: "I'm going to go home now and work my socks off because I don't want to be in this position again. It's given me the kick up the backside I needed."

The youngster is also going to have to contend with the news his father, Robert, is again suffering from brain cancer. A routine scan found the cancer, first identified four years ago, had returned.

But he insisted he would be watching his son try to become Olympic champion in 2012. He said: "I'll be there to see Tom go for gold in London, no question about it."