Kiwi divers nearly snag medal as Aussies bomb

8:39 pm on 11 April 2018

New Zealand's synchronised women's diving pair were one belly flop away from claiming a surprise bronze medal today.

Commonwealth Games - Diving - Optus Aquatics Centre, Gold Coast, Australia - Elizabeth Cui and Yu Qian Goh of New Zealand compete in the Women's Synchronised 3m Springboard Final.. 11 April 2018. Picture by Alex Whitehead / www.photosport.nz

Photo: Photosport NZ

Lizzie Cui and Yu Qian Goh finished fourth in the women's synchronised 3m springboard final, but nearly found themselves on the podium after the leading pair crumbled under pressure in the final round.

Cui and Goh had been placed sixth out of seventh for the first four rounds of competition.

However, a catastrophic final dive by Australians Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith - who had been in the lead - saw that pair post a zero score and drop to last place.

Cui and Goh then posted their highest score of the final, catapulting them into third with only two other pairs left to complete the round.

The Canadian pair failed to fire, but Malaysia was able to do enough to leapfrog the New Zealanders in the final dive of the competition.

Another Australian pair won the gold while England took silver.

Australia's Anabelle Smith and Australia's Maddison Keeney competes in the diving women's synchronised 3m springboard final during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Optus Aquatic Centre on the Gold Coast on April 11, 2018 / AFP PHOTO / François-Xavier MARIT

Australians Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith: not so in synch Photo: AFP

Watching the final dives from the edge of the pool was "nerve-wracking", Cui said.

"At the end when we're done we're like, where are we? We see the scoreboard and we're in third.

"Obviously we don't wish anyone harm, of course, but it was very much like, oh my gosh, we could've got a medal."

She and Goh had no expectations going into the final, as they had not competed together for some time.

"To be able to come together and put the performance down that we did ... that's a huge, huge accomplishment for New Zealand diving."