Mexican Divers Miss Olympic Podium by Inches

Mexican divers Kevin Berlín and Randal Willars were one step away from getting on the Olympic podium this Monday in the framework of the presentation of the Mexican national teams for the specialty in Paris 2024, after finishing in fourth place with 418.65 points in the 10-meter synchronized event, held at the Aquatic Center of the French capital.

Although the Mexican duo remained at all times in the competition with possibilities of obtaining the medal, they did not manage to establish themselves among the first three places in any of the six rounds and were punished lacking synchronicity in their fourth and fifth execution (three and a half turns back in B and four and a half turns forward in C), despite being the most difficult dives on their list presented, with a grade of 3.6 and 3.7, respectively.

Kevin Berlin and Randal Willars posted scores of 50.40 (101B) and 48.00 (401B) in their compulsory jumps, while in the free jumps the judges awarded them scores of 81.60 (307C), 74.52 (207B), 78.81 (109C) and 85.32 (5255B).

The gold medal went to the Chinese pair of Junkie Lian and Hao Yang, with 490.35 points, followed by the British Noah Williams and Thomas Daley, with 463.44 points, while the bronze went to the Canadian duo of Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray, with 422.13 points, in an event that represented Daley's fifth Olympic medal in five summer events.

The activity of the Olympic diving team will continue this Wednesday, July 31, when the pair of Alejandra Orozco and Gabriela Agundez, bronze medalists in the Tokyo 2020 edition, will be presented.

Sport gives you the best, and every so often you have to learn more, like today: Kevin Berlin

Divers Kevin Berlin Reyes and Randal Willars Valdez achieved this Monday a fourth Olympic place in the men's 10-meter synchronized platform event, held at the Paris 2024 Aquatics Center.

The young athletes, bronze medalists at the Fukuoka 2023 World Championship, achieved a total score of 418.66, staying 3.48 points away from the bronze medal, so Kevin Berlin mentioned that this result is another learning after repeating the position he obtained in his debut in Tokyo 2020.

“It's my second Olympic Games, we were three points away, sport gives you the best, and occasionally, you have to learn more “Learning, today it was my turn, to continue learning and to continue fighting; we have worked very well, and we must also be proud of what we have done and how far we have come,” said Kevin Berlin on the verge of tears.

“I am sure that I tried to give my best in each dive, I fought until the end. Things do not go as one wants and I would like more than anything to be able to give that joy to all of Mexico and a medal, but there were details like that I feel that he failed me in the fourth dive,” he added.

Kevin Berlin, who together with Willars also managed to be crowned at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, assured that they will have to get up and prepare for their individual presentation that both will hold on August 9.

“I will continue fighting, the one who perseveres achieves and show me that there are very difficult moments, that is how sport is in the Olympic Games, I know that he gave his best, and he knows that I did too, eventually, this is a team test, and we must support each other,” he commented.

In light of his debut at the summer competition, Randal Willars commented on the mixed feelings he felt about making it to the Olympic Games and not achieving his goal.

“It is a bittersweet result. On the one hand, I am happy to make my Olympic debut. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire event, a entirely different experiences than I thought it would be and in the end we came very close to the medal we had been dreaming of. We gave it our all. Now we have to get up and change our mindset for the individual event and I hope to win that medal,” he concluded.