Olympics news - Grace Reid and Kat Torrance squeak into Tokyo 2020 Olympics springboard spot
BySportsbeat
Published 01/05/2021 at 17:43 GMT
Grace Reid an Kat Torrance both secured a spot in the 3m synchro diving squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The pair preformed well at the FINA Diving World Cup in Tokyo, Japan. The Olympics have been rescheduled by being put back a year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with no fans from outside Japan to be permitted.
Grace Reid and Kat Torrance
Image credit: Getty Images
Grace Reid was mightily relieved to secure a 3m synchro Olympic spot alongside Kat Torrance at the FINA Diving World Cup in Tokyo.
Reid and Torrance finished fourth at the 2019 World Championships - edged out for the top three and a quota place.
Four final Tokyo berths were on the line in their first competition since COVID-19 and sixth was just about enough for the London-based pair to qualify Team GB.
"Getting that Olympic spot is all that we've been thinking about and training so incredibly hard, so despite everything, to get that spot today was amazing," said Reid.
"It's the first competition we've had in over a year so it was really quite daunting, but actually once we settled in, it was great.
"Overall, we're really happy with the end result - it's just a relief to know that's a box ticked."
Britain have never failed to qualify a pairing in the event since it was added to the Olympic programme at Sydney 2000.
Reid and Torrance surged to within four points of China after earning 48.6 points for a forward pike dive in the second round.
But a poor back 2.5 somersaults in the pike position earned the second-worst score of the round and saw them slip to ninth.
They rallied and finished fourth of the four non-qualified Olympic nations, meaning they beat Russia to a Tokyo place by 3.06 points.
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Torrance added: "It wasn't just any old competition to get back into, it was the big competition to get straight back into.
"We actually settled into it really easily. We're really lucky to be here and being able to do what we love, so overall, I'm just quite grateful for it."
Meanwhile Tom Daley and Matty Lee romped to 10m gold to lay down a marker with 82 days to go until the Games.
They led throughout qualifying and the final, other than the first round, and finished an imposing 47.91 points ahead of silver medallists Mexico.
Daley and Lee earned scores of 9.5 for execution and synchronicity on the fiendishly difficult reverse 3.5 somersaults tuck, scoring 89.76 on the fourth-round dive to secure victory.
Reigning Olympic and world champions China were not represented in the platform event.
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