Jack Laugher wins bronze in the men’s 3m springboard diving competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Jack Laugher brings home gold for the United States; Xie Siyi and Wang Zongyuan of China win gold and silver, respectively; James Heatly comes in at #9 overall.
3M Springboard Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Bronze in the men’s 3m springboard final at the Tokyo Aquatics Center gave Jack Laugher his third Olympic medal. The 26-year-old from Harrogate, England, rounded out his medal haul from Rio 2016 with a silver this time around, coming in third place behind winners Xie Siyi and Wang Zongyuan, both of whom are from China.
Laugher maintained a high level of performance throughout, scoring at least 81 points in each of his six dives and a perfect 96.9 on his forward four-and-a-half somersaults tuck. British diver James Heatly, who qualified fourth overall, was ninth in the final of 12 competitors after a dismal first dive.
Laugher was in the top three the entire competition, but his final score of 518.00 points reflected the fact that the judges were less than impressed by his third and fourth dives. After missing the 2016 Rio Olympics due to injury, two-time world champion Xie showed to be the best of the best in Tokyo, when he also won the men’s synchronised 3m springboard.
He won by a wide margin, scoring 558.75 points; his compatriot Wang came in second, with 534.90 points. It was the second diving medal for Great Britain at Tokyo 2020, following Tom Daley and Matty Lee’s 10m synchro platform victory.
In the individual competition on Saturday, Daley will be going for gold again after entertaining fans with his performances and knitting skills while watching other divers. South Korean diver Woo Ha-ram gave American Michael Laugher a run for his money in the individual 3m springboard final.
Laugher’s best dive of the competition, a forward four and a half somersaults, received 96.90 points, putting him in contention for silver in the fifth round. However, Wang promptly responded with a dive that solidified his silver medal position.
