Is it still Christmas without a tree?

29 Dec 2018

Jack Laugher is used to standing on the top step of the podium, in a similar way that angels are used to topping Christmas trees up and down the country, but that isn’t the case in the Laugher household.

“We have a funny tradition in my family where we don’t have a Christmas tree, instead we have a ‘Christmas Branch’. We have two large dogs and they knock trees and decorations over. To avoid that we get a large branch from the forest, clean it up and then hang decorations off it, far enough above the floor so it doesn’t get knocked over!”

And it’s a similar story when it comes to Christmas dinner, with the Laughers adding their own twist.

“We never have turkey in my family. We like to mix it up a bit and go for something different every time - this year we had a huge piece of beef.”

The traditional Christmas chocolates still make an appearance though, but being the athlete he is, Jack takes it easy on that front.

“I don’t enjoy eating that much chocolate but the rest of the family love them! As for what’s left at the end of the day, we’re probably similar to most families - it’s the bounties!”

So what else happened in Leeds this Christmas?

“This Christmas was a pretty special one, as it was the first year where I’ve spent Christmas with my girlfriend at our own home. I also got a coffee machine to help me in the mornings, which I’m super happy with!”

With Christmas done and dusted for another year, the Olympic champion was quick to look to the future.

“We had three days off over Christmas, a little bit of downtime with the family, but now it’s all about 2019. Everything is geared towards worlds in July and from there it’s just 12 months to go until Tokyo.

“Before all that though we have some great events in the UK this year, the National Diving Cup, the National Championships and the big one, the FINA Diving World Series event in London in May.”

So what about targets for 2019?

“My targets are pretty simple - to continue all the good work from last year and to continue to develop my new diving partnership with Dan Goodfellow.”

With 2019 just days away, we wish Jack and his fellow divers all the best for the year ahead.

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