In a final with many mistakes and lack of precision in the entries in the water, China was the most regular duet in the women’s 3m springboard synchro, the first diving event of these Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. The Asians were the team to beat – they never lost this final since 2001, including Olympic Games and FINA World Championships -, but the facility by which they got the gold in 326.40 was perhaps unthinkable at the start of the final. Also predictably, Canada got the silver in 300.78, while the fight for the bronze remained open until the last round. In the end, Germany completed the podium in 284.97.
At the end of the first two rounds – with limited Degree of Difficulty (DD) -, China and USA shared the first two positions, with Canada losing precious points with approximative entries from Jennifer Abel. Shi Tingmao/Wang Han (CHN) and even Alison Gibson/Krysta Palmer (USA) were more confident, and finished this first stage of the competition with the same number of points (99.60, at the lead of the eight-duet final). Canada (Abel competed with Melissa Citrini Beaulieu) was then sixth, while Germany (Lena Hentschel/Tina Punzel) was fifth.
When serious things began (the last three rounds with unlimited DD), the quality and regularity of Shi and Wang was never questioned. Successively performing a 75.60, 74.70 and 76.50 dive, the Chinese supremacy was never threatened by the rest of the field. In the end, Shi got her third gold Olympic medal, after winning both the individual and synchronised final at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She has also nine medals at FINA World Championships, including eight titles (among them the “double” individual-synchro, in the last three editions, 2015, 2017 and 2019). Together with Wang, they were the world champions two years ago in Gwangju and confirm here in Tokyo a total domination in the last Olympic cycle.
After two silver world linings in 2017 and 2019, Canada was also the natural choice for the second spot, and they did not disappoint in Japan, concluding the final with two dives over 70 points (a successful forward 3 ½ somersaults and an inward 2 ½ somersaults). Abel had finished fourth five years ago in Brazil (with Pamela Ware), but had the bronze in London 2012. Moreover, at almost 30, she has amassed 10 medals at the FINA Worlds (six silver and four bronze, since Shanghai 2011).
The third place at these Olympics was still undecided before the last dive, with Italy (silver in Rio 2016, with emblematic Tania Cagnotto and Francesca Dallape) then in a better position than Germany. However, a very shaky last combination from Elena Bertocchi and Chiara Pellacani (45.90) ruined the Italian hope for a place in the podium. Instead, the German pair was much better (despite some synchronisation problems), getting 64.17 for their last attempt, a forward 3 ½ somersaults. It is the second time Germany medals in this event, since the introduction of the synchro variant in 2000: at the Beijing Games in 2008, Heike Fischer and Ditte Kotzian also got the bronze in the Water Cube of the Chinese capital.
Completing the top-8 in Tokyo, the fourth place went to Mexico (they were third in Gwangju 2019, but with another pair, including the best female diver in the history of the country, Paola Espinosa), while host Japan had to content with the fifth spot. Thanks to their final mistake, the Italians finished seventh, behind Great Britain, but still in front of the US pair (which had a disastrous fourth round).
QUOTES
Gold
SHI Tingmao (CHN):
On her hopes to tie Chinese diver GUO Jingjing for the most gold medals in diving (four) if she is successful in her individual event in Tokyo:
"I think no matter what we get, gold or silver, it doesn't define our success. It shows we are on the right road when we achieve our goals. This is our first gold medal of this Olympics, so now I feel much more comfortable. I know we can be even better and China will do better. I'm feeling a good nervous."
WANG Han (CHN):
On how China is able to maintain their dominance in diving:
"We work very hard in training. We make all of the effort we can in our training every day. We have already worked five years, and we were fully ready for this."
Silver
Jennifer ABEL (CAN):
On how satisfying silver is after placing fourth at the Olympic Games Rio 2016:
“I’m very happy, super satisfied. I couldn’t ask for a better day. It hasn’t been easy, and also for Melissa it’s her first Olympic Games being by my side. It’s not easy for her, too. But we did it as a team since 2017, and we’re here today. Super satisfied.”
On bouncing back after Rio 2016:
“After Rio, it was a rough time for me because I finished two times, fourth, in one week, so it’s pretty rough to take it. But then after that I felt like I lost myself, because in my head I was so focused on the medal and I didn’t get one so I felt like I didn’t achieve what I was aiming for. But a good thing, I decided to change, and when I started my Olympic cycle I knew that I wanted to stand on the board in Tokyo knowing that I did everything to be at my best. And that’s the reason why I chose Melissa, because I knew that we were going to be the best team together, and she was going to be a good friend for me, too. She’s so joyful. She’s really passionate with diving, so that brought back the desire of me winning and the happiness when I dive.”
Melissa CITRINI BEAULIEU (CAN):
On winning an Olympic silver medal:
“It was just a dream since I was young. I think I’m a pretty motivated person and since I started, I wanted to give it my all. I kept believing that I could do it and now I’m by Jen’s side and we won a silver medal at the Olympics.”
Bronze
Tina PUNZEL (GER):
On how much confidence they had heading into this event after winning the European championships:
“I think it was really important for us that we had a competition this year to test our form. We knew that we were in really good shape, we just needed to put it down in competition and we managed to do this. We knew that we could win a medal.”
On winning a medal at these Games:
“I always said in Rio, I really enjoyed the whole experience, and I was a little distracted by all the things that you could experience there. And this time, no spectators, so it’s maybe easier to focus just on the competition. We did this and it paid off.”
Lena HENTSCHEL (GER):
On winning Germany’s first Olympic medal so far in Tokyo:
“It’s incredible to know that this is the first medal for Team Germany. All the work which is behind this medal, it’s incredible really to realise that this is the first one for Germany, and we hope that they will come much more.”
On this being her first Olympic Games:
“Definitely the highlight of the whole season, of the last five years actually…all the work pays off today. It’s my first Olympic Games, and then to get a bronze medal, it’s crazy really.”