It was a case of so close yet so far for the Brits in action in session two of the FINA/CNSG Diving World Series as the women’s and men’s 3m synchro pairings finished fourth and fifth in their respective finals.
First up were Grace Reid and Kat Torrance, the GB duo taking to the boards looking to continue the momentum built up during the morning session where Tom Daley and Matty Lee struck gold. After two solid required dives London based Reid and Leeds based Torrance produced an impressive third round Forward 2 ½ Somersault 1 Twist Pike (5152B) to bag 72.00 points and move up to fourth place.
With two dives left it was still all to play for as everyone chased the Chinese pair Shan Lin and Yani Chang and Australian’s Annabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney who occupied the top two spots. Whilst the Brits penultimate dive wasn’t their best they finished strongly with a Back 2 ½ Somersault Pike (205B), good for 66.60 points giving them a total of 293.52 points.
That tally saw them end the competition just outside the medals in fourth place, their best score of any of the 2019 World Series legs.
Speaking post-competition Reid said:
“We’re really pleased overall. I think there is still a lot more in the tank, so as much as we’re really pleased we definitely want to improve. Heading into the World Championships we will be putting the finishing touches to things – a lot of hard work has been done and it’s now about working on the details.”
Kat Torrance added:
“It’s a great score and we’re really happy. The crowd is great and it’s cool to be in a home pool. I’ve never dived in a World Series where the crowd has been so loud!”
Ultimately Australia would overhaul the Chinese to strike gold, with Canada securing bronze.
In the men’s equivalent Jack Laugher and Dan Goodfellow put up a brave fight but ultimately had to settle for fifth place in a closely fought final. Tied first with a Chinese pairing of Luxian Wu and Zongyuan Wang after two rounds, both pairings on 105.60 points, the Brits were looking in great form with a home crowd spurring them on.
Unfortunately the duo dropped both their third and fourth round dives, slipping down the leader board, but showed tenacity and resolve to fight back, nailing their final two dives. A final round Front 4 ½ Somersault Tuck (109C) was undoubtedly the pick of the bunch and was rewarded with 88.92 points to give them a tally of 402.54 points, missing out on bronze by a mere 3 points.
Whilst disappointed not to pick up a medal, the pair were able to look at the positives, with Goodfellow commenting:
“It was another tough one for us. Obviously, I’m relatively new to 3m synchro but I think with every competition I get a bit more experience. Sometimes you have to go through those lows and it is not what we wanted. We will be looking forward now to having a run out at the British Championships and keep trying to gain as much experience as possible.”
Olympic champion in this discipline Jack Laugher added:
“Our first two dives we amazing and our last two were pretty good as well. It was just about trying to pick ourselves up. I think it is really character building for Dan but what he did was show determination and strength to really pick it up again for those last two. It was a tough day at the office but it happens.”
Ultimately the Chinese would have to produce a comeback of their own, needing a stunning 95.76 point final dive to regain the lead in the final round, with Russia and Ukraine taking the minor medals.
The action resumes at 10:00 tomorrow morning, with Olympic champion Laugher in action again in the individual 3m springboard.
Full results from across the weekend can be found by clicking here.
Tickets for all sessions are available on the door throughout the weekend – please note tickets are no longer available online.
For more details about the London leg of the of the FINA/CNSG Diving World Series 2019 click here to visit our event hub.