Jack Laugher won bronze for Team GB in the individual 3m springboard at the Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, in a final that delivered a Chinese diving masterclass of execution and daring.
Laugher took silver five years ago in Rio, but after Tuesday’s event said he had regularly cried himself to sleep after a dip in form starting at the 2019 world championships.
A near flawless series of difficult dives sent China’s Xie Siyito the top of the podium on his Olympic debut, with his compatriot Wang Zongyuan in second.
It was a culmination of extraordinary performances by the pair as they had already won the synchronised diving. Xie – the reigning world champion, who missed Rio because of injury – led after every round, finishing with a six-round total of 558.75pts. Wang was not far behind with 534.90, while Laugher finished with 518.00 for bronze.
Team GB’s James Heatly, whose grandad Peter Heatly won gold as a diver for Great Britain at the 1948 Games, finished in ninth after a strong final dive and a total of 411.00.
After the end of the competition Laugher smiled into the camera and mouthed: “I love you Mum; I love you Dad.”
He put in a gutsy performance, improving his speed and execution as he moved into the most difficult dives of the final. The 26-year-old now has a full set of Olympic medals after winning 3m synchro gold with Chris Mears – the first time Britain won an Olympic diving title – and the individual 3m silver, both in 2016.
Last week, Laugher lost his Olympic crown after a disappointing performance with Dan Goodfellow. But he said the bronze medal was proof of his mental fortitude. “I’m not going to lie, I wanted to quit earlier this year and I’d been crying myself to sleep,” he told BBC Sport.
Dedicating his medal to his friends, family, psychologist and coach, he said it was proof he could come through the struggle. “I know it’s not a gold medal – it’s not as good as it was in Rio. But this bronze medal means 100 times more than any medal I’ve ever got,” he said.
It was Team GB’s second diving medal of Tokyo 2020, after Tom Daley and Matty Lee won the 10m synchro platform gold. Daley, who has delighted fans not only with his performances but his knitting prowess while watching other divers, will be aiming for a second gold in the individual event on Saturday.
The individual 3m springboard final was a tense affair, with South Korea’s Woo Ha-ram fighting for a medal and keeping Laugher honest to the last. In the fifth round silver seemed possible for Laugher when his strongest dive – a forward four-and-a-half somersaults – scored 96.90, but Wang immediately produced a dive that cemented his silver-medal position.
There were also tears and a standing ovation after the final dive from Japan’s Ken Terauchi .The 40-year-old competed in five previous Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016), seeing out his final performance on home soil.