Four-time Olympic medalist David Boudia, who is now a coach for USA Diving, previews the 2024 Paris Olympics competition.
China’s quest for an eight gold sweep of the diving events continues on Monday in the finals of the men’s synchronized 10m platform competition.
No U.S. men’s team qualified for the platform finals, which will feature eight groups of divers.
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Here’s a look at the competition and what to know.
How does the competition work?
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All synchronized diving events in the Paris Games consist of just one round of competition with eight teams.
Each team will do five dives. Two must have a degree of difficult of 2.0 and the other three have no difficulty limit.
Eleven judges will score competitors on starting position, approach, take-off, flight, entry into the water, and synchronization. Scores are added together and multiplied by the degree of difficulty for each dive.
The team with the highest score at the end wins gold. In the event of a tie, multiple medals will be awarded.
Who is competing?
- Lian Junjie/Yang Hao (China)
- Tom Daley/Noah Williams (Great Britain)
- Kevin Berlin/Randal Willars (Mexico)
- Mark Hrytsenko/Kirill Boliukh (Ukraine)
- Domonic Bedggood/Cassiel Rousseau (Australia)
- Nathan Zsombor-Murray/Rylan Wiens (Canada)
- Timo Barthel/Jaden Eikermann (Germany)
- Gary Hunt/Lois Szmczak (France)
SEE MORE: Great Britain's Tom Daley ready to challenge China's diving dominance
Who are the favorites?
Much like in the women’s synchro springboard event where China’s Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen came in as three-time defending world champions, China’s Lian Junjie and Yang Hao were also platform world champions in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Even though Lian and Yang will both be making their Olympic debuts, they’re still looking for a bit of revenge from Tokyo. In the last Olympics, the men’s synchro platform was the only diving event China did not win.
Any other teams to watch?
The reason China didn’t win gold in the men’s synchro platform in Tokyo was because of Great Britain’s Tom Daley. The 30-year-old won in 2021 with then partner Matty Lee. Now competing in his fifth Olympics -- the most of any British diver -- he will look to add to his extensive medal collection. In addition to one gold, he’s won three bronze medals.
Daley took two years off from diving after Tokyo, but said his son, Robbie, helped inspire him to come back for Paris.
"That has kind of lit a new flame and fire inside me to want to see where this goes,” Daley said.
Daley began training again late last year with new partner Noah Williams, a 24-year-old diver in his second Olympics.
The duo finished second at the most recent World Championships.
“I don’t think people realize how good Tom is,” Williams said. “There is no one else in the world who could have two years out and then come back and be a world medalist and world champion in the team event. He’s insanely hard-working and talented. He’s miles above everyone else.”
Ukraine’s Kirill Boliukh, 17, finished third at this year’s World Championships, and second in 2023, but both of those were with a different partner. He’ll compete in Paris beside Mark Hrytsenko, 14.
Both teenagers making their Olympic debuts will look for history for their country, which has never won a medal in the men’s synchro platform event.
The world bronze medalists this year, Mexico’s Randal Willars and Kevin Berlin, are looking to best Mexico’s fourth place finish in the Tokyo Olympics. Willars was one of the divers on that team.
With an automatic qualification as the host country, France has turned to one of the most accomplished divers on the planet to fight for a medal. Forty-year-old Gary Hunt will make his Olympic debut, and while he doesn’t have much indoor diving experience, he’s a 10-time Red Bull World Series champion in cliff diving and a two-time world champion in 27m high diving.
Hunt will dive alongside 31-year-old Lois Szymczak. The two finished 17th at this year's World Championships.
When and how do I watch?
The men’s synchro platform finals will begin at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 29. The competition will air on E! and stream on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.
SEE MORE: How to watch diving at the Paris Olympics: TV and stream schedule
