Young divers Ben Cutmore and Desharne Bent-Ashmeil made Great Britain proud by clinching the country’s first gold at the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade. The duo competed in the mixed synchronised 3m springboard final, where they outperformed their competitors to finish over eight points ahead of Sweden’s Elias Petersen and Emilia Nilsson Garip, who came in second. With a total score of 268.50, Bent-Ashmeil, at just 19 years old, secured her second European Championships gold, adding to her women’s 3m synchro from 2023. For 21-year-old Cutmore, hailing from Cambridge, it was his second European gold and fourth podium finish overall, following his win in the 10m synchro event in Rome two years prior.
The British pair, who had previously competed together in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, were not selected for Team GB’s diving squad for Paris 2024. However, they proved their prowess in the final by steadily improving their performance, particularly excelling in dives of 2.0 difficulty. Despite a minor setback with a mistimed back 2.5 somersault pike, they managed to secure a podium position. Their successful execution of a forward 2.5 somersault twist pike and an inward 2.5 somersault pike propelled them to the top of the leaderboard, ultimately crowning them as champions. These final two dives accounted for just over 47% of their total points.
Meanwhile, British Olympic champion James Guy is gearing up for his third Olympic Games in Paris 2024. The freestyle and butterfly specialist from Bury, who has clinched two Olympic gold medals in team events, including in Tokyo, is feeling calm and relaxed as he prepares for the upcoming competition. Guy attributes his past success to a change in training center and program three years ago, and he is confident in his abilities leading up to Paris 2024. Reflecting on his mindset going into the Olympics, Guy emphasized the importance of maintaining a sense of calm and treating the event with the same level of focus as any other competition.
Speaking about his training adjustments, Guy explained that he made changes to his regimen leading up to the Tokyo Olympics to improve his results. These adjustments have proven successful so far, and he is hopeful that they will yield positive outcomes in Paris as well. The 28-year-old athlete expressed his excitement for the upcoming Games and his desire to achieve further success on the Olympic stage. With his sights set on adding to his collection of gold medals, Guy is ready to give his all in pursuit of glory in Paris.
As the streaming home of the Olympic Games, discovery+ is the exclusive platform where fans can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer. With athletes like Ben Cutmore, Desharne Bent-Ashmeil, and James Guy set to compete on the world stage, viewers can look forward to witnessing thrilling performances and memorable moments at the upcoming Olympic Games.
