NSWIS Diving Duo Into Platform Semis

NSWIS will have two divers in the semi-finals of the 10m platform competition after Melissa Wu and Brittany O’Brien both progressed through qualifying.

Competing in her third Olympics, Wu goes into the semi-finals ranked fourth after scoring 342.80.

Sydney schoolgirl O’Brien is ranked 17^th after her first day of competition at an Olympic Games.

“I am happy. It could be a little bit better but I did what I needed to do,” Wu told the AOC website.

“I am super excited to compete, I have been waiting for so long since we have been here and being out here every day supporting the team has made me really excited and inspired me a lot to get out and dive.”

“I just want to go in and hit all five of my dives to the best of my ability and if I do that, wherever I place I will be happy with that.”

Qualifying for the semi-finals is an incredible achievement for O’Brien, who had to put her year 12 school exams on hold to take her place in the Australian team.

The national championship runner-up earned her place on the team after London Olympics silver medallist Brittany Broben succumbed to a shoulder injury.

“I didn’t think that I was going to be competing at the Olympics. It is unfortunate for Brittney but I maintained my training since the trials and I felt prepared coming into the competition,” O’Brien said.

“I was very nervous and very relieved at the end to see that I made it through, particularly after my third dive which was a bit of a shocker.”

“I thought I didn’t make it. I didn’t find out until the last diver and I only knew when I spoke to my coach and he told me that I had made it. It is pretty exciting now I can go again tomorrow.”

The top 12 in tonight’s semi-final will qualify for the final.

Taekwondo athlete Safwan Khalil has missed out on a medal in the 58kg division in dramatic circumstances.

The Australian dominated his opening round bout, defeating Belgian Si Mohamed Ketbi 8-1 to move through to the quarter-finals.

He then faced Thai fighter Tawin Hanprab and looked set to contest for the gold medal when he led late in the contest.

But when Hanprab won that 11-9, then won through to the final, Khalil earned a spot in the repechage round.

His hopes of a bronze medal were snuffed out by Korean Taehun Kim.

The women’s water polo team is out of medal contention but is now playing for ranking positions.

They will play for fifth spot on Friday after crunching Brazil 11-4.

NSWIS players Nicola Zagame, Holly Lincoln-Smith, Hannah Buckling and Bronwen Knox all scored for the Stingers.