Anton Down-Jenkins made very few mistakes in his semifinal. Photo / AP
Anton Down-Jenkins made very few mistakes in his semifinal. Photo / AP
It's not always about winning Olympic medals, as Wellington diver Anton Down-Jenkins showed.
The 21-year-old, who is based at the University of North Carolina, was the first male Kiwi diver to compete at the Olympics since 1984, and he more than justified his place with an eighth placing in the3m springboard final.
Using a low risk strategy, of easier dives which he performed with style, Down-Jenkins hit a high point with his fourth dive in the final, scoring 74.4 to move into seventh place.
He was never anywhere near the leaders, but just making the final of 12 divers from an original field of 29 probably exceeded many expectations.
"He's making history for New Zealand in being in the final," said one commentator.
China's brilliant multiple world champion Xie Siyi won gold, with compatriot Wang Zongyuan winning silver, and Brit Jack Laugher claiming bronze. Xie's total from six dives was 558.75, Down-Jenkins' was 415.6
But it was a competition Down-Jenkins will always recall with great pride, and he also had to overcome Covid to compete.
Down-Jenkins had gone into the semifinal in 16th place and needing a step up in scoring consistency to be among the 12 divers in the final.
The 21-year-old employed a low-risk strategy of using relatively low level of difficulty dives, scoring well by executing them well and he finished in a remarkable 8th place.
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While he was a long way behind the leaders, it was an impressive performance from Down-Jenkins, who was not expected to progress this far into the event.
Down-Jenkins began with a solid, safe dive that put him right on track for the final - albeit by the slimmest of margins.
At a difficulty of 3.0, Down-Jenkins completed an inward, two-and-a-half somersaults dive in the inward pike position. He executed the dive reasonably well and the judges handed him an overall total of 66.00, which put him in 12th place after the first round of divers.
Down-Jenkins' second dive was a step in the wrong direction. Attempting a backwards, two-and-a-half somersaults dive, the young Wellingtonian had difficulty entering the water in a straight body position, leaving him with a judged score of 63. That result left him sitting in 14th place with four rounds to go.
The third round of the event saw Down-Jenkins attempt a reverse two-and-a-half somersaults dive with a difficulty of 3.0 and it was by far his best dive of the event as he recorded a total score of 72 points to move him back into contention for the final in 11th place.
Anton Down-Jenkins made very few mistakes in his semifinal. Photo / AP
Down-Jenkins' strategy of keeping his dives simple and achievable continued in his fourth jump as he completed a forward three-and-a-half somersaults dive at a difficulty of 3.1. Once again, he was precise and clinical in his execution and was rewarded with 71.30 points from the judges that kept him in 11th place with two dives to come and almost ten points between himself and 12th place.
The fifth round of the event saw the Kiwi diver attempt a forward two-and-a-half somersaults dive with a twist, at a difficulty of 3.0. Once again, it was beautiful to watch in its simplicity and he equalled his best score of the day with 72 points.
With one round to go Down-Jenkins remained in 11th place but had built a buffer of 17.2 points between himself and the 13th-placed diver Haram Woo from Korea.
Saving the best for last, Down-Jenkins attempted a forward two-and-a-half somersaults dive with two twists - his toughest dive of the session - and nailed it to perfection to lodge his best Olympic dive of 79.90 points.
