Kiwi diver Anton Down-Jenkins has put in a strong performance on Olympic debut to qualify for the semifinals of the 3m springboard.
The 21-year-old Wellingtonian finished in 16th position in the preliminaries this evening, with the top 18 qualifying for the semifinals.
Down-Jenkins was sitting in 22nd halfway through the competition but brought it back superbly with his final three dives.
His fourth dive - a forward three-and-a-half somersault pike - scored 69.75 and pushed him back into the top qualifiers. He followed that with a 72.00 on his fifth dive and 69.70 on his final dive to secure a spot in the semifinals with an overall score of 394.45.
His performance was a strong improvement on his efforts in the world championships in 2019, where he finished 48th with a score of 307.30.
He also improved on his world cup score of 393.25 earlier this year.
The semifinals takes place tomorrow afternoon, with the top 12 qualifying for the final tomorrow night.
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