An Olympics commentator covering the diving events at Paris 2024 voiced concerns and urged judges to ‘do their jobs’ after witnessing a ‘dangerous’ dive.
For most of us, diving from a high platform allows barely enough time to take a deep breath before hitting the water. Yet, the athletes competing in these events manage to execute numerous spins within a couple of seconds.
The competitors seem to decelerate time as they perform their dives. Among them was Italy’s Maia Biginelli, who showcased her skills during the women’s 10m platform semi-final at the Olympics on Monday (5 May).
Biginelli undertook a challenging 3.2-difficulty three-and-a-half somersaults inward dive in the tuck position. This move left viewers anxious for her safety.
Leon Taylor, who provided commentary for the BBC in the UK, expressed his discomfort while watching Biginelli’s performance.
Spectators noticed that the 21-year-old diver came perilously close to hitting her head on the 10m platform during her dive, prompting Taylor to address the judges directly.
“Judges, you need to do your job now!” he exclaimed during the commentary.
“That is a dangerous, dangerous dive. Her hair hits the diving board.”
He even suggested that Biginelli should be ‘massively penalized’ for the dive, adding, “Her hair pretty much hits the board.”
“What are you watching from your seats?” Taylor continued. “What are you watching? We’ve got a duty of care in this sport to keep athletes safe. You’ve got to penalize. Coaches, you can see that as well.”
Biginelli ultimately received a score of 41.60 for her dive, which she reviewed on a small screen provided by her coaches.
Another BBC commentator noted: “They’re showing her the replay now so hopefully she can process that herself because that was frightening to watch.”
In the end, Biginelli did not score high enough to qualify for the finals of the women’s 10m diving, which took place today (August 6).
In the final, Quan Hongchan of China secured her second consecutive gold medal, finishing first with a total of 425.60 points. Her teammate, Chen Yuxi, followed closely with 420.70 points.
Kim Mi Rae from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea earned the bronze medal with a score of 372.10 points, marking the team’s first Olympic medal in an individual diving event.