Diving is a sport where athletes jump or fall into water from a platform or springboard while performing acrobatic routines. As such, competitors’ similar characteristics as gymnasts, including strength, flexibility, balance, power, and air awareness.
The sport became popular in Sweden and Germany in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was primarily practiced by gymnasts who started performing tumbling routines into the water.In the late 19th century, a group of Swedish divers visited Great Britain. They put on diving displays that proved hugely popular and led to the formation of the first diving organization, the Amateur Diving Association, in 1901.
China’s diving team has become the dominant force in the sport since Los Angeles 1984. Divers from the nation have won 47 gold medals out of a possible 64 at the past 10 editions of the Games.
In Paris 2024, the Chinese divers will once again be the ones to beat.
There are two types of diving board at the Olympics: springboard and platform.Springboard diving takes place on a flexible board three meters above the water that propels athletes upwards.Platform boards sit 10 meters above the water and are rigid, meaning that athletes have to generate their own power, or simply drop into their routine.
There are both individual and synchronized (featuring two athletes) events for both springboard and platform diving at the Olympics. Men compete over six rounds, while women compete over five.Individual dives are scored by a panel of seven World Aquatics-appointed judges, who rate the dive based on the starting position, the take-off, the flight, and the entry into the water.
The top two and bottom two scores are eliminated, and the final three scores are added together and multiplied by the degree of difficulty rating of the dive to achieve the total score for that dive.The highest overall combined score at the end is declared the winner.It is the same process for synchronized diving, except there are 11 judges: six grading the divers’ execution, and five grading synchronization.
Diving was included in the Olympic Games for the first time at the Olympic Games St. Louis 1904. The springboard and platform events have been included since the 1908 Olympic Games in London. Since the Stockholm Games in 1912, women have taken part in the diving events.
The first Olympic competitions differed from those which exist nowadays, notably with respect to the height of the platforms and springboards. The diving programme has been relatively stable since the 1928 Games in Amsterdam: men and women take part in 10-metre high-dive and 3-metre springboard events. In 2000, the Sydney Games witnessed the entrance of synchronized diving on both the springboard and the platform.
This discipline was first dominated by the USA, with four-time Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis considered one of the sport’s finest athletes ever. But this domination started to waver with the emergence of the People’s Republic of China at the end of the 1980s. Since then, the Asian powerhouse has dominated the sport of diving across the men’s and women’s disciplines.
Divers from China have dominated the sport of diving over the past years and they are expected to do well at Paris 2024. The latest star off China’s impressive conveyor belt of diving talent is Wang Zongyuan. At the delayed Tokyo 2020, the then 20-year Wang Zongyuan won gold in the men’s synchronized 3m springboard and silver in the individual event, before becoming world champion in both disciplines in 2022.
Wang Zongyuan recently became the first diver to win three golds in a single edition of the world championships when he competed in Budapest. It is expected that Wang Zongyuan will compete together with multiple-medalist Cao Yuan in the men’s springboard events, both individual and synchronized, on the road to Paris 2024.He boasts one of the most impressive and diverse diving resumes ever with three Olympic golds (10m synchro at London 2012, 3m springboard at Rio 2016, and 10m platform at Tokyo 2020), as well as four world championship titles.
On the women’s side, Chen Yuxi delivered gold and silver in the 10m synchro and platform respectively at Tokyo 2020, before winning both titles at the 2022 Worlds, while teenager Quan Hongchan won 10m platform Olympic gold before taking out the 10m synchro Worlds title alongside Chen Yuxi.
In the women’s springboard events, China has won gold in all events since Seoul 1988 while maintaining the same record in the synchronized 3m springboard since Athens 2004. After the retirements of Tokyo 2020 gold medalists, Shi Tingmao and Wang Han, new athletes will carry the baton for China in springboard events for Paris 2024.
Both Chen and Chang passed the first test in Budapest by winning the gold in the synchronized event with gold/bronze finishes in the individual event. In the platform events, watch out for Olympic individual event champion Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi, who won gold in the synchronized event alongside Zhang Jiaqi and silver in the individual event.
And don’t forget Zhang Jiaqi, who will be constantly challenging the duo for a place in the Chinese team for Paris 2024. The only gold medal that the Chinese diving team failed to claim at Tokyo 2020 went to British pair Tom Daley and Matty Lee. Four-time Olympian Daley, who won a gold and bronze at Tokyo 2020, is currently taking a yearlong break but is expected to be back for Paris.
Of the young stars to watch, 15-year Tamai Rikuto of Japan made his world championships debut in Budapest, winning the silver medal in the individual 10m platform event. Also keep an eye on Ukraine’s Oleksiy Sereda, who showed maturity beyond his years to make the 10m platform final at just 15 years old, and eventually finished in the sixth position in his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.
Outside of China, Great Britain has posed the most consistent challenge to China, with Tom Daley winning 10m synchro Olympic gold in Tokyo alongside Matty Lee, while Jack Laugher took home the 3m synchro gold medal at Rio 2016.
Triumphs in Adversity: China’s two most successful divers at Tokyo 2020 both experienced tough run-ups to the Games. Shi Tingmao has been open about the depression she experienced in this Olympic cycle, which at one point made her consider quitting.For the 29-year to come through that, and deliver near perfect performances to retain her 3m springboard and 3m synchro gold medals is an amazing achievement.
Olympic Record: It was Xie Siyi’s second gold of the Games after winning the synchro title.“To win gold here, I’ve also achieved my ‘grand slam’”, said the 25-yearwho added Olympic gold to his four World Championships titles. “I’ll give myself full marks. It’s really not been easy all these years. I want to thank myself for not giving up on myself.”“I just thought to myself, ‘I’ve done it.’ I didn’t let everyone down. I also feel proud of myself. This is my first Olympic Games and I’ve had to go through a lot.
First Olympic Gold: Tom Daley’s gold medal that plenty of diving fans wanted to see.Thirteen years after making his Olympic debut as a 14-year at Beijing 2008, Daley won the only accolade missing from his cabinet.It was a truly heartwarming moment, given all the ups and downs Daley has battled through in his storied career.“I’ve been diving for 20 years, it’s my fourth Olympic Games. Lots of people would have counted me out, being the older person, but I’m in the best shape physically.The 27-year has been the poster boy of the sport in Britain for so long.
Dulanjan Fernando
In a historic achievement for Sri Lankan diving, 24-year Dulanjan Fernando set a new national record in the 3m springboard diving event at the CAMO International Invitation Plongeon held in Montreal in Canada from November 30 to December 3, 2023. This accomplishment not only marked a personal milestone for Fernando but also earned him recognition from the prestigious World Aquatics, making him the third Sri Lankan diver to achieve such global acclaim.
A former diver from Royal College, Dulanjan achieved a remarkable feat by scoring 288 points in the 3m springboard event, surpassing the previous national record of 247 points held by Janaka Biyanwala since 1996. Biyanwala, also a former Royal College diver, was the last Sri Lankan diver to represent the country in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.
Dulanjan’s outstanding performance not only broke the national record but also exceeded the World Aquatic Championship qualification mark of 250 points. As a result, he secured his spot in the Doha World Aquatic Championship scheduled for February 2024.Expressing his joy, Dulanjan said, “I am actually happy. I want to keep diving in a higher place in the world. I want to get into 300-350 points to be placed among the top 30 in the world.”
The CAMO International Competition featured top diving nations such as the USA, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Canada, and Mexico. In the 3m springboard event, Dulanjan faced stiff competition with world’s top 18 athletes, and he qualified for the finals as the eighth diver with an impressive score of 230 points in the first round.
In the final, Dulanjan’s stellar performance earned him 288 points, securing the national record and a commendable sixth-place finish. His journey to this achievement began when he was the national champion in diving in Sri Lanka before leaving the country in 2020 for higher studies in Melbourne, Australia, at the age of 20.
While pursuing sports science at Deakin University in Melbourne, Dulanjan rekindled his passion for diving due to the excellent facilities available. In just two years, he not only qualified for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games but also reached the finals, earning him a scholarship from the World Aquatics on June 1, 2023. The scholarship, valid until August 31, 2024, further acknowledges his talent and potential.
