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| Event type

Platform, Men

Date22 – 23 August 2008
StatusOlympic
LocationBeijing Guojia Youyong Zhongxin, Beijing Aolinpike Gongyuan, Beijing
Participants30 from 18 countries
Format10 metre platform.

Men’s platform closed the 2008 Olympic diving program and to date the score read – China 7, Everybody Else 0. But this event was considered somewhat open as the 2007 World Championships had been won by Russian Gleb Galperin and the 2008 World Cup went to German Sascha Klein. China’s Zhou Luxin had been second at both events and was their top hope in Beijing on platform. And the winner was – none of the above.

The gold went to Australian Matt Mitcham, who had previously competed internationally at the senior level only at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, where he failed to medal. Going into the final round, Mitcham trailed Zhou by 32.50 points. He chose for his final dive a back 2½ sommie with 2½ twists, piked, with a huge degree of difficulty – 3.8. And he nailed it – getting four 10s, two 9.5s, and a single 9.0, to score 112.10, the highest scoring dive in Olympic history, which moved him 3.2 points ahead of Zhou, who won silver, while the bronze went to Galperin.

This was Australia’s first Olympic diving gold since Richmond Eve in 1924. Mitcham had started in sports on the trampoline. David Wallechinsky has noted in The Complete Book of the Olympics that Mitcham “was one of only 10 openly gay athletes to compete at the Beijing Olympics and the only openly gay male.”

PosCompetitor(s)NOCPoints
1Matt MitchamAUS537.95Gold
2Zhou LuxinCHN533.15Silver
3Gleb GalperinRUS525.80Bronze
4Huo LiangCHN508.40
5José Antonio GuerraCUB507.15
6Mathew HelmAUS467.70
7Tom DaleyGBR463.55
8Rommel PachecoMEX460.20
9Patrick HausdingGER448.30
10David BoudiaUSA441.45
11Juan Guillermo UránCOL414.80
12Thomas FinchumUSA412.65
13Peter WaterfieldGBR430.95
14Vadzim KapturBLR420.55
15Jeinkler AguirreCUB414.20
16Riley McCormickCAN391.35
17Reuben RossCAN390.75
18Sascha KleinGER382.85
19Hugo ParisiBRA412.95
20Kostiantyn MiliaievUKR410.05
21Aliaksandr VarlamauBLR406.60
22Germán SánchezMEX399.35
23Constantin PopoviciROU392.30
24Cassius DuranBRA389.65
25Francesco Dell'UomoITA388.80
26Bryan LomasMAS384.35
27Oleg VikulovRUS375.40
28Rexel FabrigaPHI358.85
29Anton ZakharovUKR344.95
30Kim Chon-ManPRK328.85

Qualifying (22 August 2008 — 19:00)

Six dives. Top 18 advanced to the semi-finals.

PosCompetitor(s)NOCPoints
1Zhou LuxinCHN539.80Q
2Matt MitchamAUS509.60Q
3Gleb GalperinRUS499.95Q
4Peter WaterfieldGBR497.65Q
5Mathew HelmAUS484.40Q
6David BoudiaUSA481.70Q
7Thomas FinchumUSA477.00Q
8Huo LiangCHN472.95Q
9Rommel PachecoMEX465.45Q
10Sascha KleinGER453.80Q
11José Antonio GuerraCUB443.20Q
12Tom DaleyGBR440.40Q
13Vadzim KapturBLR432.90Q
14Riley McCormickCAN425.95Q
15Reuben RossCAN425.60Q
16Jeinkler AguirreCUB423.75Q
17Patrick HausdingGER423.40Q
18Juan Guillermo UránCOL418.00Q
19Hugo ParisiBRA412.95
20Kostiantyn MiliaievUKR410.05
21Aliaksandr VarlamauBLR406.60
22Germán SánchezMEX399.35
23Constantin PopoviciROU392.30
24Cassius DuranBRA389.65
25Francesco Dell'UomoITA388.80
26Bryan LomasMAS384.35
27Oleg VikulovRUS375.40
28Rexel FabrigaPHI358.85
29Anton ZakharovUKR344.95
30Kim Chon-ManPRK328.85

Semi-Finals (23 August 2008 — 10:00)

Six dives. Top 12 advanced to the final.

PosCompetitor(s)NOCPoints
1Huo LiangCHN549.95Q
2Matt MitchamAUS532.20Q
3Zhou LuxinCHN526.20Q
4Gleb GalperinRUS508.95Q
5David BoudiaUSA491.55Q
6Mathew HelmAUS485.20Q
7Thomas FinchumUSA474.95Q
8Tom DaleyGBR458.60Q
9Rommel PachecoMEX453.80Q
10Patrick HausdingGER453.30Q
11José Antonio GuerraCUB438.80Q
12Juan Guillermo UránCOL436.10Q
13Peter WaterfieldGBR430.95
14Vadzim KapturBLR420.55
15Jeinkler AguirreCUB414.20
16Riley McCormickCAN391.35
17Reuben RossCAN390.75
18Sascha KleinGER382.85

Final (23 August 2008 — 20:00)

Six dives.

PosCompetitor(s)NOCPoints
1Matt MitchamAUS537.95
2Zhou LuxinCHN533.15
3Gleb GalperinRUS525.80
4Huo LiangCHN508.40
5José Antonio GuerraCUB507.15
6Mathew HelmAUS467.70
7Tom DaleyGBR463.55
8Rommel PachecoMEX460.20
9Patrick HausdingGER448.30
10David BoudiaUSA441.45
11Juan Guillermo UránCOL414.80
12Thomas FinchumUSA412.65