English divers secure European team bronze

English divers, Matty Lee and Georgia Ward started the Team GB European campaign in style, claiming a European team bronze medal in the Team Event at the LEN European Aquatics Championships 2016.

The pair were consistent with their dives, completing three dives each to finish on a score of 353.85 behind the Ukrainian and Russian pairs, who claimed silver and gold respectively.

European Team bronze medal breakdown

City of Leeds’ Matty Lee was the first diver of the competition to be awarded a 10, executing his second dive, an Inward 3 ½ Somersaults Tuck, with an air of effortlessness. His score of 86.40 moved the pair from fourth to second, putting them in medal contention.

“It’s a really good start to the competition. I’ve never been in a Team Event before and it’s really good to get things kicked off and blow the cobwebs away for the other competitions later in the week.” – Matty Lee

Ward, who was competing in the same pool in which she trains, performed the pair’s final dive. She executed the Armstand Back 2 Somersaults 1 ½ Twists in free position well to tie down their bronze medal position, scoring 59.20.

Ward said, “That was incredible. It’s fantastic to come away with a medal. This event is incredible. It’s at my home pool as well and we won a medal here for Synchro at the World Series last year.

“So coming away from here with a European medal in the Team Event this year is great. I’ve got three events this week. We’re doing the mixed synchro as well on Saturday so we’ll be back training for that tomorrow and the individual on Friday should be good,”.

The Ukrainian pair Iuliia Prokopchuk and Oleksandr Gorshkovozov took silver with 396.40, and the Russians Nadezhda Bazhina and Viktor Minibaev were top of the podium with 4:13.40.

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