High drama at the end there, but the gold was decided long before. Aisen Chen and Yue Lin were the best by a long way, and earn China’s fourth consecutive gold in this event. With Germany and Mexico failing to find their best form, the US pair, and Britain’s Daley and Goodfellow, were deserving medallists. Thanks for joining me. Bye!
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China win the men's synchronised 10m platform gold
Aisen Chen and Yue Lin win by a distance, with the USA’s David Boudia and Steele Johnson second – and Britain’s Tom Daley and Dan Goodfellow take bronze.
1. China (496.98)
2. USA (457.11)
3. Great Britain (444.45)
4. Germany (438.42)
5. Mexico (423.30)
6. Russia (421.98)
7. Ukraine (417.57)
8. Brazil (368.52)
Great Britain win the bronze medal!
Daley and Goodfellow with the last dive – back, 3.5 somersaults with pike – it’s a great effort, both executing a fiendish dive, but there’s a little splash, and a touch of separation. The Germans look disappointed... but we’re waiting for the scores. They’ve done it... 89.64. Bronze for the British, who plunge into the pool in celebration!
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Here come Chen and Lin, with a backward dive, 2.5 somersaults with twists. Can they pick up triple figures again? Unless they fall off the platform, they’re taking home gold. They certainly don’t – mirror images of one another, into the water with barely a splash. 98.28, and a total of 496.98. Worthy winners is an understatement.
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Ukraine, down in seventh, are the latest pair to deliver with their final five – solid marksfor execution and synchronisation, totalling 90, but they’re only fourth. Team GB need to beat Germany to pick up a bronze medal. A final dive for the hosts, and while the synchronisation is some way out, those are two nicely executed backward dives. Last, but not miles behind.
Mexico have saved the toughest dive of all for last – an eye-watering forward 2.5 somersault, with just the three twists, and a rating of 3.8. It asks a little too much, and they finish behind Germany...
Boudia and Johnson, in second place, surely bag the silver with a precise backward 2.5 somersault, with twists. It’ll be a worthy medal – they are the only pair who have really come close to China. They score 95, and they know a medal’s in the bag – Johnson bursts into tears!
Russia were on the edge of the medal picture, but Minibaev and Shleikher have never looked liked doing enough, and a final, twisting, unconvincing backward dive ends their campaign. Germany – Britain’s closest rivals for bronze – have the same dive, and both execute well, but aren’t quite in perfect harmony. Good, not fantastic – and they pick up 86.40. So Daley and Goodfellow, who go last, need more than 84 to beat them.
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Team GB in bronze with one dive to go, as China lead
1. China (398.70)
2. USA (362.07)
3. Great Britain (354.81)
4. Germany (352.02)
5. Mexico (340.08)
6. Russia (333.33)
7. Ukraine (331.26)
8. Brazil (300.36)
“One, two, three, go” says Daley, as the tension mounts – and go they do, Goodfellow rising to the occasion to execute neatly. It’s 92! They’re in bronze medal position, with one dive to go...
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More splash thrown up by the Brazilians, on their toughest dive – but at 3.3, equal with the other teams’ easiest efforts. Parisi pulls it off, Rondinelli gets in a mess, and they are going to finish eighth. They’ll have had a great day out, though.
After that, China deliver the best dive so far by a mile – the forward dive, with 4.5 somersault, is bordering on perfection. 106.5, 9s and 10s, it’ll be another gold for China, barring something disastrous. Team GB have the same dive – follow that...
A big running dive, with four-and-a-half rotations, for the USA, hoping to close in on China in first place. Johnson can’t quite match the quality of Boudia, but they post another impressive 85, and are set fair for a medal. Ukraine, sixth but just five points off bronze, blow their chance – a tough dive sends up enough splash to reach the judges’ table, and their score is just 68.
Russia, still with three high-scoring dives to go but probably out of the running for a medal, deliver their best effort to date with the pressure off. Germany, the oldest pairing here, are finding form at the right time, with an 84.6 on a reverse dive, with 3.5 somersaults.
Mexico, who came close to gold in London, take on a manageable backward dive with 3.5 somersault – high marks for synchronisation, middling marks for execution. They look despondent as they slink into the poolside jacuzzis.
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How they stand with two rounds to go
1. China (292.14)
2. USA (276.60)
3. Germany (267.36)
4. Mexico (262.86)
5. Great Britain (262.68)
6. Ukraine (262.44)
7. Russia (245.85)
8. Brazil (238.98)
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Brazil were last after three rounds, but had held their own in a high-calibre field, but are struggling a little with the higher difficulty dives. Rondinelli is ten years younger than Parisi – easily the biggest age gap between a pair of divers.
China next, on their ‘bogey dive’ – a backward 3.5 somersault, and despite spectacular spinning synchronicity, only match the Americans with 85. Can Team GB cut the gap, with a reverse 3.5 somersault? Goodfellow, not quite on a par with Daley so far, can’t land the entry, costing a few points, and Britain are down to fifth.
Tom Daley had hoped for cloudy skies at the outdoor diving venue and he got his wish. The stands are not quite full but there is a raucous atmosphere, with Jamie Murray among those cheering on Daley and his partner Daniel Goodfellow. They sit third – if only just – behind the American pair and the inevitable Chinese favourites.
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Mexico take on the same dive as Russia, even lifting their right knees in time. They’re in perfect sync for take-off, but both fail to land the entry – costing individual execution and collective points. That’s good news for GB, with Mexico slipping behind Germany.
Less good for GB: the USA continue to deliver, nailing a dive with 3.4 difficulty and picking up 85 points. Not the best synchronisation, but both pulled the dive off expertly. Ukraine, not out of the medal mix, are as one throughout their inward dive, and match the American score.
Russia take on their most difficult dive, skipping along the platform and thundering into a quadruple somersault. It’s not the best, the heavy splash reverberating around the arena. Just mid-60s there, while Germany take on a backward somersault, and deliver their best dive to date, getting the coaches to their feet. 92.8, with high marks for synchronisation.
Team GB’s third dive, an inward 3.5 somersault, and it’s their best effort so far, nailing the take off but marginally apart by the time they hit the water. Still a solid score of just under 80 points.
After round three:
1. China (206.8)
2. USA (190.9)
3. Great Britain (181.8)
4. Mexico (180.72)
Incidentally, this is the first outdoor diving arena at the Olympics this century – not sure it’s adding much, with rows of tower blocks and police sirens,rather than Sugar Loaf mountain, forming the backdrop.
I’m afraid we missed a couple of dives, part of the Beeb’s pledge to never show an Olympic event in its entirety. We return to see the Chinese pair up the difficulty with zero fuss, taking on a backward 3.5 somersault and picking up 9s and 10s across the board.
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Mexico, possibly pushing the boat out more than anyone else in terms of difficulty, take on a tricky, twisting backward double somersault. They pick up a score of 79 after a ragged dive with a high difficulty rating. The US, in silver medal place, have an inward triple somersault – and nail it on both counts. 83.52 – and that’s what the British pair are looking at if they fancy a medal tonight.
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We now move into the more difficult dives, which are all between 3.0 and 3.8 – there are extra points for greater difficulty, providing you don’t stuff up the dive.
Russia deliver a forward 3.5 somersault, whistling through the air but hitting the water separately – 78.54 is the score, average for the level of difficulty. Germany, only sixth after the first two rounds, are next. They’re in perfect sync, but both are short on entry, and it’s another middling score. Not quite happening for them so far.
More precision from the Chinese pair, who won gold in the world championships last year. Lin is slightly slower to extend his legs than Chen, but I am seriously nitpicking. 57 again, 114 after two rounds.
Team GB have a reverse 1.5 somersault twist, getting their twist dive out of the way early. There’s a big gap between them, and a bit of splash – just 49.8 that time, but perhaps not their favourite dive. Still in third place though.
After round two: 1. China (114), 2. USA (107.4), 3. Great Britain (101.4)
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A reverse dive for Ukraine, leaping forward and tucking in their legs, before a headfirst, vertical entry. Dolgov does so better than Gorshkovozov, who hits the water at an angle, costing them a 50 score. Brazil take on the same dive, and pick up a solid 48, which is met with more deafening rancour from the Rio crowd.
Hausding and Klein again match Russia’s score after another effort, this time an inward dive, that is passable on both synchronisation and execution. The Mexican pair, very popular inside the arena, produce that uncanny mirror image effect in flight, but lose marks for execution. 49.2 for the 2012 silver medallists, while the bronze winners then – the US – nail another accomplished dive, 53 this time as they hit the water in perfect harmony. They’re looking good.
“You could drive a Mini through that gap” says the commentator as the Russians struggle with their second dive. Not sure about that, but low marks for synchronisation, and it’s just 48.6 for the only nation to win gold in this event, apart from China. They won it in Sydney, 16 years ago.
Aisen and Lue, the Chinese pair, lay down a hefty marker with a forward dive that’s easily the pick of the bunch so far. They then bow to judges, oddly failing to do so in unison. Now it’s time for Team GB... an inward dive with 1.5 somersaults, both nail the landing, and get good marks for execution – but they’re slightly out of sync, and pick up a respectable 51.6.
After the first round: 1. China 2. USA 3. GB/Mexico
The American pair of Boudia and Johnson pick up the highest mark so far, with 54 for a routine forward dive. The Ukrainian pair are in harmony, but according to the judges, lack execution, and score 50.5. Next up, the hosts are roared to the platform – they hold their own with a synchronised forward dive with a touch too much splash thrown up. 49.8, and boos ring out.
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Here’s how the scoring works. Judges score from 0-10 for overall impression, plus synchronisation, based on factors including the divers’ approach and take off, co-ordination, angle and timing of entry.
For this event, there are 11 judges across three panels. Two panels of three watch the individual divers, while one panel of five focus on synchronisation. The highest and lowest scores are discarded. The rest are added together and multiplied by difficulty; for these low difficulty dives, anything over 50 is a solid score.
Shleikher and Minibaev lacked symmetry despite well executed dives, while the German pair, who took silver back in 2008, complete a tidy forward somersault. Next up, Mexican duo García and Sánchez take on the same dive as the Russians, with similar results. 51 for Russia and Germany, 51.6 for Mexico.
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We're off!
The Russian pair are going first, with an inward dive. Each dive in the first two rounds has a difficulty rating of 2.0 – the easier end of things.
Tom Daley is on the BBC, reflecting on how he feels his form has improved since moving to London and hiring a new coach. Incredibly, this is his third Olympics, despite being just 22. He adds that in the synchronised event, and also the individual 10m platform, his focus is on gold. Presumably he’s bored of regular medals, having won individual bronze in 2012.
Start list
The eight pairs will take it in turns, in the following order, as far as I can tell. That means Daley and Goodfellow will be diving last, after red-hot favourites China. García and Sanchez, silver medallists in 2012, and American David Boudia, who took a team bronze and individual gold in London, are other names to watch. The Brazilian team – automatic qualifiers, 19th in the recent World Cup, and keeping their dives low difficulty – are bound to be crowd pleasers regardless.
Russia: Nikita Shleikher and Viktor Minibaev
Germany: Patrick Hausding and Sascha Klein
Mexico: Iván García and German Sánchez
USA: Steele Johnson and David Boudia
Ukraine: Maksym Dolgov and Oleksandr Gorshkovozov
Brazil: Jackson Rondinelli and Hugo Parisi
China: Aisen Chen and Yue Lin
Great Britain: Tom Daley and DanGoodfellow
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Preamble
Hello. Ever since a bright spark decided that Olympic diving could be spiced up by doubling the numbers, this event has been a true Games highlight. Two athletes pull off intricate routines, from a frightening height, with the added challenge of achieving perfect symmetry. When it works, it’s spectacular. When it doesn’t, it’s still pretty good.
This would be worth your time even without British medal prospects – but Tom Daley, in his third Olympics, and newcomer Daniel Goodfellow are in with a shout. Top spot may be beyond them, with China chasing a fourth straight Olympic gold, but after finishing third in the World Cup in Rio earlier this year, they’re among the frontrunners.
Tonight’s contest will see eight pairs take on six dives of increasing difficulty at the open-air Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre, with Rio glinting in the background. It all starts at 4pm local time, 8pm BST.
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