Synchronized Platform, Men

Tom Daley formed a new partnership in October 2015 with Dan Goodfellow, the 2013 European Junior 10-metre champion. Since teaming up, Daley and Goodfellow had finished third in the 2016 World Cup and were silver medalists at the European Championships. The pair had podium finishes in all synchronised events they contested leading up to the Olympics in 2016, and were considered medal candidates in Rio, but to capture gold, the British pair, and the other six pairs, would have to be at their very best to beat the Chinese pair of Chen Aisen and Lin Yue, the 2015 World Champions and 2016 World Cup winners. As it turned out, the Chinese duo were so outstanding that, after the first dive, they took the lead and never lost it, winning by 39.87 points, helped by a wonderful fifth dive which saw them score 106.56 points. In total they received five maximums.

After two dives it was clear that the United States were going to be the nearest challengers, but it was a close battle between Great Britain, Germany, Mexico, Ukraine and Russia for the bronze medal. After three dives, only a couple of points separated those five countries. Germany moved into third place after round four while Britain slipped to fifth place, but they moved back to third after their penultimate dive when they emulated the dive that netted Chen and Lin their 106.56 and, whilst not to the same high standard of the Chinese duo, Daley and Goodfellow managed 92.13. With one round to go, and the last to dive, the British pair knew what they had to do to take bronze and they did it with over six points to spare. There was only one team in it from the start, however, and Lin Yue added another gold to the one he won in the synchronised 3-metre event at Beijing in 2008.