‘I tried just a little too hard’: England standard-bearer Jack Laugher misses the Commonwealth treble after a failed dive…
Jack Laugher finished 11th out of 12 qualifiers in a three meter springboard
England’s flag bearer nailed his fifth dive, but still finished third in the event
The 27-year-old now has a whopping nine Commonwealth medals to his name
Laugher was joined onstage by Dan Goodfellow and Jordan Houlden
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He started with a treble and then missed the treble.
Jack Laugher had hoped to make it a gold hat-trick of these Games on Saturday night. In the end, the England flag bearers battled for bronze behind teammates Dan Goodfellow and Jordan Houlden. But that doesn’t even begin to tell the story of his dramatic day.
In the preliminary round of Saturday morning’s 3-meter springboard, Laugher scored zero in the first round after performing the wrong dive. “I got a bit of a knee-jerk on the board,” he later revealed.
“I was a little nervous and actually doubted myself a little too much, so I just did another dive.”
England’s Jordan Houlden (left), Daniel Goodfellow (center) and Jack Laugher celebrate their podium finishes on the 10-foot springboard
Laugher led the standings before finishing third after a poor fifth dive
Laugher, 27, managed to bounce back to make it to the final as 11th out of 12 qualifiers. And he led the standings after four out of six dives.
But just as the headlines were being written from zero to hero, Laugher made his fifth dive, scoring just 53.20. It opened the door for Goodfellow and Houlden, who took full advantage of bringing in an England one-two-three in an order no one expected.
“I tried just that little bit too hard on my fifth dive,” admitted Laugher, who now has a total of nine Commonwealth medals. “It was frustrating and I was angry. With the extra 30 points I would normally get on that dive, the results are different.
“I thought it was going to be a bit of a comeback story, but it still is. Going from having a hard time after failing a first dive to getting a bronze medal is a fantastic achievement.’
Jack Laugher (right) served as England’s flag bearer at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony alongside Emily Campbell
And it was an even bigger achievement for Goodfellow, who won gold four years ago in the 10m synchro with Tom Daley on the Gold Coast, but now only spins and tumbles.
“It feels extra special when you win it alone because all the responsibility is on you,” said the 25-year-old. “I’ve had a tough year and people doubted me. But to go out and do this is kind of a statement.’
Another diver who made a statement this week is Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix. The 17-year-old is the daughter of Fred Sirieix, the maitre d’ on Channel 4’s First Dates.
But she has made a name for herself here in Birmingham by adding silver in the 10m synchro on Saturday night to the gold she won in the individual event on Thursday. England’s Robyn Birch and Emily Martin joined them on the bronze podium.
“I’m really proud of us as a team and I’m so blown away by how incredibly loud and supportive the crowd is,” said Spendolini-Sirieix.