Team Great Britain score another much anticipated medal, with diving pair Tom Daley and Noah Williams bringing home a silver in the men’s synchronised 10m platform.
Daley has already secured his place in history as the first British swimmer to compete in five Olympic games and has now added an Olympic silver medal to his collection of three bronze and one gold.
With their families in the crowd, including Daley’s two children, six-year-old Robbie and Phoenix (1), the pair took to the board, diving over six rounds alongside seven other nations.
The Olympic 10m format saw teams from Australia, Ukraine, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Great Britain, China, and France vie for gold.
China were very much the favourites going into this straight final, which started with two rounds of required dives before moving the optional dives which often shake up the leader board.
Round One
There was a rowdy reception for the GB pair in the Centre Aquatique, the only purpose built venue for Paris 2024, as they took to the platform. Diving sixth out of eight, they opened with an inward 1 1/2 somersaults in pike.
Their dive drew an enthusiastic high five between their coaches, Jane and Gareth, and a solid 53.40 combined score from the mix of eleven judges, drawing them into second along with Canada.
Reigning world champions Junjie Lian and Hao Yang made their Olympic debut, scoring 56.40 out of a possible 60 to drive them into first place.
France, who had been gifted a spot in the team events as host nation, brought up the rear in both the round and the points with a 48.00.
Amongst their pair was Gary Hunt, who is considered the Michael Jordon of cliff diving. Born in Leeds, 40-year-old Hunt is a expert in the 27m cliff diving event, having won nine titles in eleven years. Paris 2024 has seen him achieve his childhood dream of competing in the Olympics.
Round Two
With two rounds of required dives, a medal cannot be won in the first rounds but has the potential to be lost.
The young Canadian pair of 22-year-old Rylan Wiens and 21-year-old Nathan Zsombor-Murray produced a solid dive in the second round, scoring 51.60.
Daley and Williams soon matched them with a back half somersault, full twist, in the free position which left them tied once again in second with 105 points.
Already three points ahead going into round two, China pulled the first ten of the competition for synchronisation, giving them 114 points overall.
Round Three
There was a definite gear change for round three. This is where the optional dives start, almost doubling the difficulty from the required rounds, and allowing the teams to lay the foundations of what they are really capable of.
The GB pair opened with a difficulty of 3.2, opting for an inwards 3 1/2 somersaults in the tuck position. Their score of 83.52 finally pulled them away from Canada by nearly five points as they put a total score of 188.52 on the board.
China continued to remain in a class of their own, ending round three with a score of 199.44.
Round Four
The crowds didn’t tire in their support and the pressure certainly didn’t get to Daley and Williams as they hit a dive in round four which was satisfying to watch.
The back 3 1/2 somersaults in pike had their second highest difficulty score and earned them their first score above 90 of the competition. With 93.96 in round four, for a total of 282.48, they started to pull away from the Canadians in third, putting over fifteen points between them.
Even with a lower difficulty dive, China still achieved a 95.88 score to solidify their thirteen point lead.
It was a less positive round for France. The synchronisation of their 3 1/2 somersaults in tuck was way off the judges expectations, ending in kicking up a huge amount of water on entry. Bringing in scores in threes and fours, they achieved a score of only 39.60.
Round Five
Australia splashing into a nightmare in the penultimate round, pulling a four and a seven point five for their execution.
Meanwhile, Canada, also ended their round with a big splash, despite having completed their least favourable dive in round three.
While Mexico ended round five with a satisfying score of 333.33, their synchronisation, from the spin speed to their water entry, was also less than optimum.
Once again Daley and Williams pulled it out of the bag, leaving their coach Jane Figueriredo jumping up and down poolside. A score of 87.72 was awarded for their reverse 3 1/2 somersaults in tuck, putting them twenty-six points clear of bronze with a 370.20 total.
Lian and Yang broke ninety for the second time with 91.80 to solidify their now seventeen point lead.
Round Six
Even with such big scores on the board, it didn’t stop the drama from continuing into the final dive.
The competition was fierce, with the final score for Canada of 422.13 – a score which would have been enough to earn them a silver at world championships in previous years – saw them waiting to have their bronze medal position confirmed.
Olympic competition was fierce and Mexico did well in trying to chase them down. However, they ended in fourth with 412.65, only ten points behind the Canadians. The Canadian pair of Wiens and Zsombor-Murray hugged as their medal position was confirmed.
With execution scores of four and six point five in their final dive, it wasn’t a strong finish from the German pair of Timo Barthel and Jaden Eikermann Gregorchuk. They finished in seventh with a 364.41 total.
The crowd gave their biggest cheer as Daley and Williams stepped up for their biggest dive. The forward 4 1/2 somersaults in tuck position held a difficulty of 3.7, a potential for a huge score.
While the pair looked very different in their preparation on the platform, once they took to the air they lined up together almost perfectly. Their coaches were hugging with jubilation as the judges concluded a 93.24 score, their second score over ninety of the competition.
With a forty-one point lead over Canada, it was a solid silver medal finish for the British pair with an end score of 463.44.
The dominance of the Chinese pair was clear to see as they performed the same dive as the GB pair, pulling an extraordinary score of 103.23, one of the biggest scores in diving.
They finished twenty-seven points ahead to claim the gold.
With the medals clearly decided, that didn’t stop the French pair from enjoying their final round. As he took to the platform for the final time, Hunt, along with teammate Lois Szymczak, amped up the home crowd. With a final score of 314.58, they did themselves proud, despite the eight place finish behind Ukraine, Australia, and Germany.
Celebrations and Tributes For Team GB
Even with the medals confirmed, that was by no means the end of the celebrations. Daley’s husband and children were seen high-fiving people in the crowd in excitement.
With twenty-six major diving medals to his name, Daley has now completed his set of Olympic medals with his first silver.
This is also Williams first Olympic medal, with another chance at a medal in the 10m platform individual competition later in August. Here he will have an opportunity to show off the handstand and twisting skills which lead him to fourth place in Japan last year.
Speaking after the medal ceremony, Williams was choked up as he tried to pay tribute to his former diving coach, David Jenkins. Jenkins sadly passed away after the Tokyo 2020 games.
Daley, speaking on his come back after less than a year of training, told the BBC, ‘a happy athlete is an athlete that dives well.’ He attributes his return to his oldest son’s request to watch him compete. His youngest, aged only one, threw his juice cup from the stands as Daley declared he just wanted to ‘squish his little ones’ to celebrate.
Meanwhile, Figueriredo, who has helped coach Daley for over a decade, paid tribute to the entire GB Aquatics team. With emotion in her voice she praised the staff and team at British diving, including the late Jenkins who she said had set Williams up so that she could take him the rest of the way.
‘He was superb.’
An outstanding performance from Team GB on only day three of the Paris 2024 Olympic games.
