Photo by Ian MacNicol/Sportsfile
Clare Cryan showed excellent form at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan today finishing seventeenth in the World, following the preliminary and semi-final rounds of the 3m Springboard.
Cryan put on a brilliant display in this morning’s preliminaries, finishing in ninth place overall against a strong field of fifty divers. Scoring 289.55 from five dives, Cryan’s best dive came from a forward 2 ½ somersaults, 1 ½ twists, scoring 62 points. With just the top eighteen advancing to the semi-final, Cryan was comfortably through to her first 3M World Championships semi-final.
As is the norm with Diving, it wasn’t long before Cryan returned to the springboard for the semi-final event, stakes were high, with Paris 2024 places available for the top twelve divers who would advance to the final. The 29-year-old completed the same set of dives, in the same order, once again her highest points coming from her opening dive for 61.50 points. After five dives, Cryan scored a total of 283.45 to finish in seventeenth place, just eight points off a place in the final.
Speaking after the event, Cryan said: “I had great fun competing today. It was another busy and long prelim, but it was about keeping consistent which I did and had great fun doing. Making the semi is something I’ve known I’m capable of but never achieved so that was really special. The stakes were high in the semi for the quota spots, but to be honest, as I have been telling myself all day… one step at a time. Another consistent 5 dives which I can be happy about, I was just lacking that little extra sparkle today.”
Cryan will have a second opportunity at Olympic Games qualification at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in February in Doha, Qatar.
Clare will return to action alongside teammate Jake Passmore on Saturday for the final diving event, the Mixed 3M Synchro Final.
The World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka is the first of two opportunities for Irish divers to secure Olympic places, the second will be the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar in February 2024.
Swimming at the World Aquatics Championships will take place from Sunday 23rd to Sunday 30th July.
Thursday 20th July Results:
3m Springboard Preliminaries Clare Cryan 289.55 (9th)
3m Springboard Semi-Final Clare Cryan 283.45 (17th)
Schedule:
Saturday 22nd July Mixed 3M Synchro Final Clare Cryan & Jake Passmore
