A sumptuous Chinese procession, an epic Australian choke and a first medal of the 2024 Olympics for Team GB. On a dramatic opening morning in the Aquatics Centre, Scarlett Mew Jensen and Yasmin Harper claimed a bronze medal in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard, proving one of the oldest truisms in sport. You need talent, you need training, you need dedication and you need resilience. But sometimes, you also need a little luck.
Fortune was scarcely a factor for the Chinese pair of Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen, unbeaten at global level since 2022, and who glided to victory by a margin of more than 23 points here. In an event where the bars to entry are vertiginously high, where every competitor is polished and accomplished in ways we can barely imagine, the Chinese still somehow looked as though they were competing on a different plane: not so much diving into the water as diving through it, folding themselves into the pool as if guided by computer design.
