Commonwealth Games: Hunting for bombs and belly-busters

Yu Qian Goh (L) and Elizabeth Cui finished fourth in the women's synchronised 3m springboard final at the Commonwealth Games. Photo: Photosport.nz

Of all the sports where individual performance comes under scrutiny at the Commonwealth Games, diving ranks high.

You can bomb.

Everyone knows it, too, because the splash can hint that a blue whale has thrashed its tail in the pool.

The optimum is more of a plop, as if someone has tossed in a prize pumpkin.

No belly busters were evident on day one at the Gold Coast aquatic centre, but a few might best have been reserved for a backyard summer dip at your mate's place.

The system works on a selection of pikes, tucks, twists and somersaults, but letters of the alphabet might also provide a gauge for the casual fan.

The preferred shape as a body hits the water is a capital I, but pressure brings a share of Cs, Js and Ys. Fortunately there were no Xs.

Divers need to power through their legs to provide the hang time to perform their gymnastics.

The top two scores and bottom two scores are removed from the decisions of the seven judges. That leaves three scores, which are added and multiplied by the degree of difficulty.

Three New Zealanders were in action on the opening day.

Lizzie Cui (20) and Yu Qian Goh (18) finished fourth in the synchronised 3m springboard final.

Their best effort came on the third of five attempts with 63 points for a back-facing two-and-a-half somersault pike with a 3.0 degree of difficulty.

"It's been one of our most consistent synchro dives," Goh said. "Phenomenal, I liked it."

Cui welcomed the crowd atmosphere on a 27-degree afternoon with a 26km/h zephyr wafting in from the south east.

"I thrive under it. It's not so much pressure, but exciting that we have so much support. It warms my heart that people care what we're doing."

Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer blasted through the public address system in the final throes of their competition. However, such a sentiment was not enough to extract Malaysia from the bronze medal position, despite a suspected staple on their final entry. They survived, but it wasn't something you would recommend if jumping off the cliffs at Acapulco.

New Zealand finished on 251.70, 13.2 points in arrears.

Liam Stone (21) missed qualifying in the 1m springboard by one place. He finished 13th with a combined score of 255.90, 2.25 points from advancing.

His best effort was a forward-facing two-and-a-half somersault pike with a 2.6 degree of difficulty. That netted him 54.60 points.

His worst effort was a forward-facing three-and-a-half somersault tuck with a 3.0 degree of difficulty. That requires a magnetic will to prevent your legs splitting. Stone recorded a 33.

Split Enz' I See Red played after his final dive, but the 21-year-old was anything but irate.

He said the mental process is paramount.

"There's lots of muscle memory. Conscious thoughts don't necessary help in the moment.

"We do a lot of mental training to let go of our conscious thoughts and let our bodies take over."