OLYMPICS LONDON 2012: Marvellous Mears defies the odds again

By Sean-Paul Doran, Sportsbeat, London 2012

GREAT Britain diver Chris Mears defied the odds once again as he booked his place in the London 2012 3m springboard final.

DEFYING DIVE: Chris Mears secured his place in the 3m springboard final with his best international score ever

The 19-year-old qualified for the final in ninth place with his best ever international score of 461 – just three years after being give a slim chance of survival following a ruptured spleen at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

And Mears, who finished fifth alongside Nick Robinson-Baker in the 3m synchro final, admitted he’s still trying to come to terms with his remarkable turnaround.

“I can’t believe it, to be honest, I’ve come a long way from back in 2009,” said Mears – the only teenager left in the competition.

“I’ve had a hard time, and to be stood up there representing my country and to do a performance like that is absolutely amazing.

“That was the best performance of my life, in front of a home crowd, just when it mattered. And now I can say I’m an Olympic finalist.”

Defending Olympic champion He Chong qualified in first place with 510.15, ahead of Russia’s Ilya Zakharov on 505.60, as he looks to reinforce the Chinese dominance in the diving stakes.

And a score of 91.20 for a fantastic forward four-and-a-half somersault with tuck in his final dive saw Mears, ranked 48th in the world, comfortably secure his place in the 12-man final.

Mears qualified for the semi-finals after securing the 18th and final qualifying spot from Monday night’s preliminaries with his previous personal best, as 17-year-old teammate Jack Laugher bowed out in 27th.

The boisterous Olympic Aquatics Centre crowd cheered the European Junior Championship bronze medallist every step of the way as he battled against the odds once again.

And after his parents led the chorus of cheers, Mears admitted he was buoyed by the crowd as he secured his personal best score as he chases Olympic glory on home soil.

“I saw them, and they were going wild. I could hear them before every dive because they were the first ones to always shout, and they always will be. That’s fantastic, I’m so glad they’re here," he added.

© Sportsbeat 2012