Eight English divers selected for synchro events at Paris 2024

Eight English divers have been selected by the BOA (British Olympic Association) to represent Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the synchronised diving events.

Olympic champions Tom Daley and Jack Laugher are amongst the eight to be chosen after Aquatics GB divers qualified a full set of Games quota spots across the past two World Aquatics Championships.

It means Team GB will again be contesting all four of the synchro events – the men’s and women’s 3m springboard synchro and men’s and women’s 10m platform synchro. Team GB will also be involved in each of the individual events, with the complete diving cohort heading to Paris to be confirmed following the Speedo Aquatics GB Diving Championships later this month (23-26 May).

Following their World Championship silver medal together in Doha in February, Daley and Noah Williams are selected for the Men’s 10m Synchro. Sixteen years on from his Olympic debut in Beijing, Daley – who will be competing at his fifth Olympic Games – will be looking to defend the Men’s 10m Synchro title he won with Matty Lee back in Tokyo, having previously claimed bronze alongside Daniel Goodfellow at the Rio Games.

In the Women’s 10m Synchro, Lois Toulson – who is heading to her third Olympics – and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix will combine off the back of historic podium finishes at the last two World Championships, a statistic matched by Women’s 3m Synchro pairing Yasmin Harper – on her Olympic debut – and Scarlett Mew-Jensen.

Anthony Harding, who will also be making his Olympic debut in Paris, will partner Rio 2016 champion Jack Laugher in the Men’s 3m Synchro, the duo having won two World Championship silvers and European and Commonwealth titles over the last two years. Laugher – whose Olympic debut came at London 2012 – won this event in Rio with Chris Mears, and like Daley, has also won two individual medals at previous Games.

Britain’s success in all Olympic synchro events at the three World Championships since Tokyo 2020 – with eight medals and 10 top-five finishes in that time – makes this an exciting first stage of selection for the full diving team that will head to Paris.

A fantastic mix of youth and experience

Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England commented: “Congratulations to the first eight divers selected to Team GB for Paris 2024.

“All four pairs have proven that they can challenge for podium places on the world stage, and it is fantastic to see the calibre of diving athletes getting stronger and stronger with each Games.

“There is also a fantastic mix of youth and experience within the squad, and I am delighted to welcome Olympic Champions Jack and Tom back to Team GB for a fourth and fifth Games respectively. Congratulations to Tom in particular who becomes the first British diver to compete at five Olympic Games, a remarkable achievement.”

Reflecting on the ongoing successes of this group of athletes, Aquatics GB Diving Head Coach Alexei Evangulov added: “At two consecutive World Championships, we have seen our pairs confidently take places on the podium.

“As well as that, for the first time in our history, our female synchro pairs won World Championship medals in 2023 – and they did so again at the Worlds earlier this year.

“This success across the pairings has continued at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup series, taking place over the past two months.”

Pushing for the podium

Speaking on the first eight divers selected to this Team GB diving team, Aquatics GB Associate Performance Director Tim Jones said: “We are very pleased to be able to confirm this group of athletes on to the team as we build towards Paris, where we are looking to capitalise on the strong foundations we have created in this Olympic cycle.

“Thanks to the fantastic work of each of these eight athletes, their coaches and the world-class support staff working with them on a daily basis, we put in performances at last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka and this year’s event in Doha that ensured GB will have a full cohort of synchro pairings involved across the programme in Paris – and we know that, on the back of those performances, plus more recent results at top-level international competitions and the work that we see going in day in and day out in training, that each pair will be pushing for podium contention in the summer.

“It is also testament to this programme, and the ongoing support of key stakeholders Team GB, UK Sport and The National Lottery, that this team includes Tom Daley heading to his fifth Olympics, Jack Laugher preparing for his fourth and Lois Toulson gearing up for her third Games – this is impressive longevity in any sport, but particularly one as demanding as diving. Equally, it is always exciting to see athletes building up to their Olympic debut, and we are looking forward to seeing Yasmin Harper and Anthony Harding make those hard-earned bows in Paris.”