Mexicans Osmar Olvera and Juan Manuel Celaya were crowned runners-up in synchronized diving from the 3-meter springboard at the 2024 Paris Olympics, challenging China's dominance in the sport. Despite a modest start, the Mexicans finished with 444.03 points, just 2.07 behind the top favorites, China's Long Daoyi and Wang Zongyuan, at the Saint-Denis Olympic Aquatic Center, north of Paris. Social media even accuses a “robbery” of the Mexicans, claiming their execution was misjudged.
"They are not invincible... They didn't come alone, we competed with them. We led after the fourth dive. I truly believe they were shaking and, in my opinion, we won," said Osmar Olvera to the press, with a silver medal that felt "like gold" to him. The Mexicans' progress increased as they performed more difficult dives and even took the lead from the Chinese after the fourth dive, an inward dive with three and a half somersaults, with a difficulty of 3.4.
Why did China win in diving?
But Long and Wang, the Olympic champions in this event in Tokyo 2020 alongside Xie Siyi, confirmed their favorites' status by regaining the lead with the next dive and maintaining it until the end of the competition. Smiling as they hung their silver medals, the divers showed their medals to the large Mexican crowd present in the pool, who cheered them on throughout the competition with chants of "Mexico! Mexico!".
The British pair Anthony Harding and Jack Laugher won the bronze medal with 438.15 points. The Spanish duo Adrián Abadía and Nicolás García finished fifth (361.62). Following this, Mexican users on social media were furious, even viralizing images showing the Chinese thinking they would lose.
Mexico can still win gold
The diving team, which has provided Mexico with the most Olympic medals, arrived in Paris 2024 with significant prospects for the podium, such as Olvera, who won the 1-meter springboard at the last World Championships in Doha. After the silver, Olvera, 20, feels more "motivated" and "confident" for the individual 3-meter springboard event, whose preliminary round will take place on Tuesday, August 6th.
However, the Mexican delegation started without a medal. Alejandra Orozco and Gabriela Agúndez could not repeat their Tokyo 2020 bronze in synchronized diving from the 10-meter platform on Wednesday, finishing fifth. Both are yet to participate in the preliminary round of the women's 10-meter platform individual event on Monday, August 5th.