Paris Olympics 2024: West Aussie diver Maddison Keeney overcomes physical, mental challenges to win silver
Three years after missing out on the Olympic Games in Tokyo, West Australian diver Maddison Keeney put mental and physical challenges of the past behind her to claim an emotional silver in Paris.
Keeney saved her best for last with an incredible final dive – a forward two-and-a-half somersaults with two twists – scoring 78.20 to give her a total score of 343.10, her best score for the competition.
She becomes the first Australian to win a medal in the 3m springboard event.
The 28-year-old split the superstar Chinese pair of Chen Yiwen, who claimed gold with a score of 376.00, and Chang Yani, who secured bronze with a score of 318.75.
The final was rounded out by Italy’s Chiara Pellacani (309.60), Great Britain’s Yasmin Harper (305.10) and Mexico’s Alejandra Estudillo Torres (301.95).
It is Keeney’s second Olympic medal, after she took home bronze in Rio in the 3m springboard synchronised event back in 2016.
She spent the next four years dedicating herself to defending her place on the podium.
That included pushing through the pain of a chronic knee and shoulder injury.
But when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Tokyo Olympics to be pushed back a year, Keeney couldn’t hold off on surgery any longer.
The Perth native returned to the pool just in time for the Olympic trials in 2021 but was well below her best – physically and mentally – and didn’t make the team.
Keeney watched on from her home in Australia and cried her way through the competition. She got to work, with both her coaches and sports psychologist, ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Camera IconMaddison Keeney in the final. Credit: Clive Rose/Getty Images
It all clicked in Birmingham. She walked away with a gold medal in the 3m individual and 3m synchronised with Rio partner Anabelle Smith. She also won silver in the mixed synchronised dive with Shixin Li.
Keeney started her Paris campaign alongside Smith in the 3m springboard event but a botched attempt on their final dive pushed them down to 5th, narrowly missing out on a medal.
It only fuelled the fire, with Keeney returning for the individual 3m springboard event with a vengeance
She qualified second in both the preliminary and semifinal stages, with score of 337.35 and 334.70 to get herself in a strong position for the final – and the rest is history.
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