Mexico's Diving Duo Miss Out on Medal by a Whisker

Mexican divers Alejandra Orozco and Gabriela Agúndez finished in fifth place in the synchronized platform diving event, after scoring 297.66 points in the direct final of this competition within the framework of the third day of activities for the discipline at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which are taking place at the Aquatic Center of the French capital.

Orozco and Agúndez, who arrived in the 'City of Light' with the background of having won the bronze medal in this same event in Tokyo 2020, on this occasion were just under seven points away from repeating the feat and getting into the medal zone.

The gold went to the Chinese pair of Yuxi Chen and Hongchan Quan, with 359.10 points, followed by Jin Mi Jo and Mi Rae Kim, of the People's Republic of Korea, with 315.90 points, while the British Andrea Spendolini and Lois Toulson completed the list of winners, with 304.38, in a day that was historic for diving, seeing for the first time a North Korean representation climb onto the podium of the Olympic Games.

Although the Mexican duo remained in the race to obtain a medal during the five rounds of the event, it was their fourth execution, three and a half turns inside in position C, a jump with 3.2 on the scale of degree of difficulty, in which they obtained the lowest marks from the judges, totaling 62.45 points, a dive that represented the penultimate score of the round among the eight pairs in contention.

The Olympic diving team's activity will continue this Friday, August 2, when it will be the turn of Osmar Olvera and Juan Manuel Celaya to perform in the synchronized diving event from the 3-meter springboard.

We dream of that medal, but that's what the Olympic Games are like: Alejandra Orozco

After finishing in fifth place in the 10-meter synchronized platform, divers Alejandra Orozco Loza and Gabriela Agúndez García said that it was a very close contest that they experienced this Wednesday at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a fact that they described as a bittersweet feeling, since it was a medal they had dreamed of.

Those led by coach Iván Bautista totaled 297.66 points, below the pairs from China, Korea and Great Britain, since, although at the beginning of the competition they were among the first places, in the final stretch they fell to fifth place, remaining on the sidelines of the podium.

“It was a test that was known to be very close, there was no margin for error and in this case, I also know that there was a mistake on my part, the board was really changing, it was about turning the page at that moment, fighting and fighting until the end, but that's how the Olympic Games are and anything can happen,” said Orozco.

“It's a bittersweet feeling, we trained, prepared and dreamed of that medal, it was our motivation every day, but we also overcame, we grew and learned together, we continue to be a team and a great duo in this whole process, we have made history together, a legacy with our own formula and whatever happens we continue to be the same and trust each other,” added the diver from Jalisco.

With the background of being bronze medalists in Tokyo 2020 in the same event, Gabriela Agúndez showed her satisfaction for living her second Olympic experience, in a different atmosphere from the one experienced in the Japanese capital and despite not repeating the podium together, the Baja Californian highlights the support they felt from the public at the Parisian Aquatic Center.

“I'm fine, I feel happy to be here in my second Olympic Games, to be really living what an Olympic experience is with people in the stands with an audience, it's something that hadn't happened to me, and it's incredible to feel the Mexican support, that adrenaline, today we didn't get the result we expected, we want there to be no doubt that we left everything in the process,” she commented.

With the result obtained in synchronized modality, Alejandra Orozco and Gabriela Agúndez still have the individual commitment on the platform, scheduled for next August 5.

“We are going to turn the page, we still have one more test to make clear that no matter what happens, we are a team in good times and bad, and it is not for nothing that we are here again, participating in the Olympic Games together, and that speaks volumes more than anything else,” said Alejandra Orozco.