Great Britain’s team claimed their first medal of the Paris Olympics on Saturday morning when a stunning late collapse by the Australian pair allowed the Britons to sneak into the top three in the women’s 3m synchronised springboard diving.
Great Britain’s Yasmin Harber and Scarlett Mew Jensen entered the final round in fourth place, eight points behind the Australian.
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However, Harber and Mew Jensen were ahead of Australia in the starting order going into the final round, meaning Annabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney knew exactly what was required of them as they prepared for their fifth and final dive.
A surreal mistake by Smith would cause them to lose the bronze medal.
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Paris 2024: Australian mistake gives bronze to Great Britain
The Australian team was the sixth of eight teams to reach the final round of the Olympic synchronised 3m springboard final, knowing that their fate was in their own hands. If they scored more than 58.68 points, they would be Olympic medallists; if they scored more than 71.04, they would be silver medallists.
In a surreal moment, Annabelle Smith lost her balance on the diving board and almost hit it when she was about to jump. She managed to avoid slipping, but the jump was ruined and the couple was totally out of sync when they executed the jump and fell into the water.
As the pair took off from the board, Annabelle Smith (left) slipped and planted only one leg on the board.
This caused the Australian couple’s dives to be completely out of sync.
The pair fell into the water within a second of each other, ruining their medal hopes.
Annabelle Smith was distraught after her crucial mistake
There were audible gasps from the Parisian crowd as Australia’s first medal of the Games slipped through its fingers.
The error meant the British pair remained in third place, while Italy overtook Australia to claim fourth place.
Smith was visibly distressed on the poolside as teammate Keeney and the Australian coaching team comforted her.
A surreal start to the Olympic Games for both Team GB and Team Australia at the Paris Aquatics Centre.
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