The competitive diving spectacle resumes this week in Berlin as Germany hosts the second stop of the 2024 Diving World Cup series. It’s the last chance to earn qualification points for the World Cup Super Final in Xi’an, China, in April.
On Friday, the first medals will be awarded at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup Berlin 2024, and for most of the 97 divers participating, it will mark their third major international competition in just seven weeks. Following the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, last month, and the World Cup opener in Montreal earlier in March, the best of the best will contest all eight Olympic events and the (non-Olympic) mixed team event between now and Sunday.
There will be plenty of storylines, too, as divers earn prize money and points towards qualifying for a fourth competition – the World Cup Super-Final, in China, April 19-21 – leading up to the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer.
The Berlin event opens with Friday’s team final, in which seven nations will all vie for gold. Early favourites appear to be Great Britain and Australia who finished second and third in Montreal, respectively. And, just like in Montreal, four-time Olympian Tom Daley, 29, will lead the team from Great Britain in his comeback season.
On Saturday, action begins with the men’s 3m synchro and women’s 10m synchro finals. Next, in the women’s individual 3m final, Chen Yiwen of China will try to go 2-for-2 in World Cup victories so far this year. Then, in men’s 10m platform, Lian Junjie will try to upgrade his bronze medal from Montreal, with the dynamic 2023 world champion, Cassiel Rousseau of Australia, also competing for the gold.
Sunday, again, begins with synchro events where two divers try to perform exactly like their partners – in both timing and form. It is an extremely difficult task but exquisite when done well. The women’s 3m synchro final starts the day, followed by men’s 10m synchro. Then, the men take over the 3m springboard for their individual event where the entire podium from the Montreal World Cup will return, led by gold medalist and three-time world champion Wang Zongyuan of China who also captured silver at the Tokyo Olympics. Also keep an eye on Osmar Olvera Ibarra of Mexico, who took silver and bronze at the last two world championships and is only 19. Jack Laugher of Great Britain is the other big name in the field. Laugher, 29, took silver and bronze in 3m at the last two Olympics and is a triple bronze medalist at the world championships in this event.
Sunday’s final event will be women’s 10m platform which promises to be a showdown between Quan Hongchan of China and Andrea Spendolini Sirieix of Great Britain. Quan won Olympic gold in Tokyo at age 14 and is the current world champion. Spendolini Sirieix is having a hugely successful year, and took bronze last month at the World Championships in Doha.
To follow along, see worldaquatics.com for details about timing and where to watch.