Tanya Watson beamed as she reflected on making the Olympic diving semi-finals and declared: "I just love flying through the air!".
The target that Watson, 19, had set herself before Wednesday's 10m platform qualifying round was to make the semi-finals.
Ten competitors made it through to the final later on Thursday, and Watson held her own over her first few dives but ultimately was happy with 15th place out of the 18 who made the semis.
“Making the semi-finals was amazing," she beamed. "To be able to go out there again and dive was great.
"I was nervous up there a bit but at the end of the day, once I am at the end of the board, I am focusing on something specific so I am just trying to do the best that I can with that, really.
“My first dive was solid. A good dive for me and I met the coaching points that I was asked to do. Second dive was probably the best I’ve done that dive in a while, so I was really happy with that one!
"My third dive, I met some of the targets, but unfortunately, I kicked a bit late so therefore I over cooked it a bit.
"I was just so joyful to be in the Olympics like I was a bit sad about it, but I still had two dives to go.
"Fourth dive, I pulled it back and I am always proud of myself when I can pull it back and do another good dive so reverse has been interesting in training so to hit it twice in a competition right now for me is great because that used to be my worst dive in competition.
"I am really really happy that I managed to pull that off.
"And then my last dive I had a pretty good take-off, I just came out of it a bit early, a bit splashy but you know what, sixes I am happy with that to be honest.
"I am just chuffed to be here.”
Southampton-based Watson said that being away from family during lockdown, when she came to Dublin, was tough to deal with.
She begins her chemistry studies in Oxford in the coming weeks but she admitted that competing in Paris 2024 "would be cool".
"You know what, I've not been able to meet anybody this year really," she said.
"It has actually been so nice to talk to other divers, to see people I haven’t seen in years and like just meet new people as well, that’s been cool.
"So I am really excited to go to university and study again, meet other people and yeah, I think Paris would be really cool.
"But I have to assess the next few years as they come as it is really hard to say what I will be doing in a year’s time because I don’t know.”
