Laugher 'devastated' after missing out on medals

8th Aug 2024 | Source: BBC

Laugher had previously won silver and bronze in the individual event

British diver Jack Laugher said he "let emotion get the better" of him as he missed out on the medals in the 3m springboard final at the Paris Olympics.

Laugher, who won bronze in the synchronised event last week, had taken Olympic silver and bronze from the individual event at previous Games.

This time he finished seventh as China's Xie Siyi and Wang Zongyuan won gold and silver respectively.

It was an outcome that left Laugher "devastated" and considering his future in diving.

The 29-year-old's challenge was effectively ended by a mistake on his third dive when a significant over-rotation meant he scored just 35.70 points.

"It wasn't pressure, it wasn't nerves. I had so much adrenaline coursing through me," Laugher told the BBC.

"I think I just let today get the better of me."

Laugher finished 16.80 points behind team-mate Jordan Houlden who took fifth. Houlden was a distant 72.65 points adrift of Mexico's Osmar Olvera who won bronze amid vocal support at the Paris Aquatics Centre.

"The emotion, crowd noise was absolutely phenomenal today, and following Osmar [Olvera], such a wonderful diver with massive support for himself, I didn't really expect that to affect me the way it did," Laugher said.

"Every time I dive, I'm trying to stick to my own routine; today I let emotion get the better of me."

Laugher, a 3m synchronised springboard gold medallist alongside Chris Mears in 2016, was seeking to add to his four Olympic medals, having qualified with the third-best score.

Afterwards, he suggested he could soon retire.

"Four Olympic medals - it's hard to be sad, but right now in this moment I am obviously devastated," Laugher said.

"I'm glad there's no underwater microphones 'cause I said some horrible things under there.

"I've got to pass the baton on at some point. I'm getting towards 30."

Ahead of the Britons and Olvera, defending champion Xie and world champion Wang continued China's dominance of the diving in Paris.

Chinese divers have won all six golds on offer so far in diving. There are two events - Friday's women's 3m springboard and the men's 10m platform on Saturday - still to come.

Xie, 28, was a surprise winner, having taken a two-year break, completed a Masters degree and turned to coaching since winning the title in Tokyo.

In Xie's absence, Tokyo silver medallist Wang had won the past three world titles.

China will again be strong favourites for gold in Friday's women's final, which begins at 14:00 BST, but Great Britain again have two entrants after Yasmin Harper and Grace Reid came through the semi-finals.

Noah Williams, a 10m platform synchronised silver medallist with Tom Daley, begins his individual campaign on Friday morning in the preliminary rounds from 09:00 BST.