Mexican Aranza Vazquez reduced to tears after unusual request denied in diving semi
Mexican diver Aranza Vazquez's was reduced to tears after her pleas for a repeat dive fell on deaf ears during the women's 3m springboard diving semi final on Thursday night (AEST).
Vazquez's fourth-round dive looked off from the moment she left the board — eventually crashing down to land flat on her back in spectacular scenes.
"Oh no, a major mistake and you knew it right from the hurdle (the final segment of a diver's approach before takeoff). She was diving so well," commentator Hans Frauenlob said.
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Aranza Vázquez recorded a no-dive in spectacular scenes. Nine
"What happened in her hurdle? It was in the hurdle. She was leaning too far forward and she couldn't get the takeoff she needed."
Quickly emerging from the water, Vazquez immediately raised her hand to signal a protest of the dive.
Launching an appeal, Vazquez explained that she had been distracted by something in the crowd during her effort and this put her off.
Athletes can protest a dive if they feel there was an unfair event that happened during their dive that negatively impacted their ability to perform.
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As Vazquez's legs hit the water before her hands, her dive was deemed a no-dive and awarded a score of 0.00 by the judges.
After speaking with officials on the pool deck, the referee subsequently denied her appeal for a repeat of her dive.
The 21-year-old was seventh after her third dive and on the verge of qualifying for the final. However, failing to record a score proved costly as she tumbled down the leaderboard.
Vazquez bravely returned to the platform and completed her fifth and final dive, scoring 67.50.
With a total score of 248.20, Vazquez finished 16th — outside the top 12 finish needed to progress to the final.
Following her final dive, Vazquez broke down in tears and was consoled by her coach.
"How can you console a broken heart like this?," Frauenlob said.
Mexican Aranza Vazquez cries after failing to qualify for the final of the women's 3m springboard at Paris 2024. Nine
Australian Alysha Koloi's total score of 270.6 placed her 14th and out of contention for the final.
Having built throughout her dives, compatriot Maddison Keeney qualified second for the final with a total score of 334.70.
The women's 3m springboard diving final gets underway at 11pm AEST on Friday, 9 August.
