Spendolini-Sirieix & Toulson snatch diving bronze

Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson won Great Britain’s third diving medal at the Paris Olympics by snatching bronze at the last in the women’s synchronised 10m platform.

Spendolini-Sirieix, whose father Fred – the chef and TV personality – was nervously watching poolside, and Toulson grabbed the medal with a superb final dive to lift them up from fourth.

As the pair completed the dive, Fred leapt from his seat in celebration and Spendolini-Sirieix, 19, and Toulson, 24, were in tears after Canada failed to better their score.

It meant Great Britain, who scored 304.38 points from their five dives, finished behind China, who have taken gold in all three diving events so far and dominated this event with 359.10, and North Korea on 315.90.

“We are so happy. We have worked so hard,” said Spendolini-Sirieix.

“I am sorry we gave everyone a hard time be we always know how to close a competition.”

Toulson said: “There was a blip in the middle with our third dive which is usually one of our strongest. We stayed confident and calm.”

Spendolini-Sirieix and Toulson’s performance also kept up Britain’s record of winning a medal in every diving event.

Tom Daley and Noah Williams won silver in the equivalent men’s competition while Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen took bronze in the 3m synchronised springboard on day one.

Overall, Team GB now have 14 medals in Paris.

Great Britain had not won a female diving medal at the Olympics in 64 years before Saturday. They now have two in five days.

This pair came in highly-regarded, as medallists at the last two World Championships.

Toulson, from Huddersfield, is competing at her third Olympics aged just 24.

Spendolini-Sirieix, born in London to her Italian mother and French father – the star of TV show First Dates, was national champion at 15 and competed at the last Olympics a week before receiving her GCSE results.

After a solid start, a poor third dive looked to have knocked their medal chances but with one to go they were in fourth with the Canadian’s 4.44 points ahead.

The British pair had the advantage of diving first throughout and put in their best effort of the competition to apply the pressure.

A score of 77.76 did just that and the Canadian duo faltered slightly, scoring 68.16 with their final dive, to finish four points back on 299.22.

Victory was especially sweet for Spendolini-Sirieix, who considered quitting the sport after admitting struggling mentally post-Tokyo.

“I have struggled a lot with diving,” she said. “It has been a love-hate relationship but right now I have nothing but love for it.”

Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan, the overwhelming favourites as three-time reigning world champions, were again superb in sealing gold, as they kept up China’s run of having won this event every time it has been contested, since Sydney in 2000.

Behind them, North Korean pair Jo Jin Mi and Kim Mi Rae secured their nation’s second medal of the Games.