Peter Waterfield

Medal slips from grasp of British divers

One bad dive cost Walthamstow-born Peter Waterfield and partner Tom Daley a medal in the men’s 10m synchronised diving competition at the Aquatics Centre today.

The British duo led the way at the midway mark, after three strong opening dives, but slipped right out of the medal placings after a below-par fourth round effort.

And it left them with too much ground to make up in their final two dives, as China’s Yuan Cao and Yanquan Zhang claimed gold, ahead of Mexican duo Ivan Garcia Navarro and German Sanchez Sanchez and Americans David Boudia and Nick McCrory.

Waterfield, who won silver at the 2004 Games in Athens, said: “I’d rather finish last. It’s the worst place to finish knowing we missed one dive and were only nine points away.

“We took off and had a great start (to the competition), but I kicked my feet too high and over-rotated (on the fourth dive) and we left ourselves with too much to do.

“I said ‘sorry mate’ to Tom, but he said ‘we win as a team and lose as a team’.”

Daley added: “We had our highest score ever after three dives, but you can’t afford to miss a dive at this level.

“Our synchro was good on the fourth dive, but I kicked early and Pete kicked high.

“Nine more points and we would’ve been on the podium.”

The Brits were the seventh pair to dive in the first round and appeared on the top platform to huge roars from the home crowd.

They responded to the vociferous backing too, with a very tidy inward dive with pike to score 56.40, which was good enough to see them share first place at the end of the round with Cao and Zhang.

An exact repeat score in the second round, after a reverse dive with pike, saw Daley and Waterfield edge in front on 112.80 and they produced an excellent back three-and-a-half somersault with tuck to score 91.08 in the third round and maintain their advantage at the midway point of the competition.

But they slipped right out of the medal placings and into fourth place after a poor reverse three-and-a-half somersault with tuck saw them score just 71.28.

The Aquatics Centre crowd did their best to rouse Daley and Waterfield for their four-and-a-half somersault with tuck in round five, but they remained just outside the podium places after scoring 87.69.

A good back two-and-a-half somersault with two-and-a-half twist piked in the final round earned the British boys 91.80 but left them heartbreakingly just outside the medal placings.

Waterfield, who represented Waltham Forest as a youngster at the London Youth Games, added: “It was amazing. I was calmer that I thought and more relaxed. I was enjoying it, but missing that fourth dive left us with too much to do.”

Daley said: “We knew we had out two highest difficulty dives left and were relying on someone else dropping their dive.

“It’s upsetting that I haven’t been able to realise my dream with Pete of getting a medal. I gave it my all and tried my best, but it wasn’t our day today.

“There were so many good things in that performance and things we could’ve done better.

“I think that score would’ve got a medal in Beijing, but it was still an amazing experience and we know what the crowd is going to be like now and will be more prepared for the individual event.”

Result: China 486.78; Mexico 468.90; USA 463.47; GB (Daley/Waterfield) 454.65; Cuba 450.90; Russia 449.88; Germany 446.07; Ukraine 433.32.