Movie Star Jason Statham Was Briefly a Competitive Diver More Than 30 Years Ago

If you want proof that life is long, look no further than Jason Statham. The actor and martial artist is now nearly 60 years old, and he is still finding ways to play the lead in a variety of action movies.

Long before he was an action icon, though, Jason had a life that had nothing to do with movies. Now, many want to know whether that life included any form of competitive diving. Here's what we know about Jason's possible diving career.

Eight years before Jason made his film debut in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Jason was a competitive diver. He represented England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand, where he competed in three different diving events. He finished eighth in the 1-metre springboard, and 11th in 3-metre springboard and 10-metre platform.

While he never made it to the Olympics, Jason was interested in sports from a young age. Growing up in Wales, he practiced martial arts and also took a keen interest in soccer. It wasn't until his teenage years that he discovered a love for diving after seeing a man perform a high dive in Miami. After coming back to England, he joined a swimming club where he trained regularly.

“I was on holiday in Florida with my mom and dad,” Statham told the BBC. “And there was a guy who used to do a high dive at noon every day from one of the hotels we stayed in. And I say, 'When we get home, I am going to do that.'"

“I joined the club then, I was like 11 or 12 years old," he added. "Within a year, I was part of the British team and it gained momentum and I spent the next 10 years doing that.”

Statham was eventually inducted in the British National Diving School and then started representing England and the U.K. in international competitions. He participated in the Olympic trials for the 1988 Games in Seoul and the 1992 Games in Barcelona but didn't make it to the Games themselves on either occasion.

Following Jack Laugher and Chris Mears winning gold in synchronized diving in Tokyo, Jason discussed his own Olympic disappointment.

“It’s a bit of a sore point that I never got to the Olympics,” he said, adding that diving had evolved so much since he was competing.

“They deserve it. The divers now are just terrific,” he added. “I started too late. It probably wasn't my thing. I should have done a different sport.”

Diving may not have been Jason's thing, but thankfully, he found it somewhere else. Statham has ascended as far as there is to ascend in Hollywood and has proven that he might not have been a star diver, but he could still be a star. Now, he can watch diving on his very nice couch like the rest of us and be amazed at everything the divers can do.