In the first Olympic diving event of the Paris 2024 Games, first-time Olympians Chang Yani, 22, and Chen Yiwen, 25, brought China the first of what it hopes will be all eight diving gold medals. The two women began diving together in 2021 and haven’t lost an international event since 2022. On Saturday, they led the field after each of their five dives and built a 23.40-point lead over the runners-up from the US by the end of the one-hour contest at the new Aquatics Centre in St. Denis.

Chen said, “Personally, I was not so nervous. I was a LITTLE nervous. Now we understand the process of the whole competition, now that we know the facilities, I think it’s going to be helpful for the individual event [on August 9].”

Asked about diving side-by-side with Chang, Chen revealed, “It was not easy in terms of technique, and in terms of body weight, it’s not the same. I am much heavier than her and she has to keep up with me. And when I am heavier, I need to make adjustments.”

Chang added, “I think it terms of character we are very different. However, we are very complimentary of each other. We are encouraging each other and making progress together.”

For American Sarah Bacon, the silver medal was particularly sweet because she was set to retire after the last Olympics but she failed to make the team for Tokyo. She persisted and now the 27-year-old has her first medal in her first Games. Bacon’s partner, Kassidy Cook, 29, however, came to Paris as the first American female diver to compete in non-successive Olympics. But Cook was also unfulfilled after leaving Rio 2016 empty-handed. Just prior to Tokyo, she developed what she called “a pretty gnarly shoulder injury” and didn’t compete there, so Saturday’s silver was Cook’s first Olympic medal as well. It was also the first medal by US divers in this event since 2012 London.

Bacon and Cook had the exact same dive list as China, in the same order.

“I think following [the Chinese pair] helped us do better,” Cook said.

Even so, Cook added, “I don’t think we had our all-time best performance out there, but I’m very proud of it. Overall, I would say today was a pretty great day.  I’m going to be wearing this [silver medal] all day.”

Saturday was special for Great Britain’s bronze medallists, too. Not only was it Yasmin Harper’s last day as a 23-year-old before her birthday on Sunday, but she and Scarlett Mew Jensen, 22, made history by capturing Great Britain’s first Olympic medal in this event since women’s 3m synchro diving made its Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000.  It was also the first time Great Britain captured a medal on Day 1 of the Games since 2004 Athens.

Harper said of her bronze, “I’m going to definitely have a good look at it because it’s pretty nice.”

The three pairs on the podium were the only duos to earn more than 300 points. Italy, Australia, Germany, Ukraine, and France finished fourth through eighth, respectively.

Next Up  

The men’s 10m synchro event on Monday, featuring five-time British Olympian Tom Daley and Noah Williams.

On Friday, the Opening Ceremony flagbearer Daley said, “The Chinese diving team is the strongest diving nation, unquestionably…but it’s the Olympic Games and I know that every single one of the Chinese divers knows it’s their competition to lose, which brings a lot of pressure, expectation. I think you go into a competition with a different mindset if you know that you could - and should - win.

“So I think the rest of the world is very much on China’s heels to be ready to challenge them,” Daley added.

“Diving is such an on-the-day sport, so on Monday it comes down to six dives. Who can do the best six dives within 45 minutes. It’s quite intense,” he said.