Paris Olympics 2024: West Aussie diver Maddison Keeney overcomes physical, mental challenges to win silver

West Australian diver Maddison Keeney had to wait eight years to return to the Olympics after winning bronze in Rio, but her first crack at a medal in Paris ended in a flash, with one botched dive.

She then had to wait two more weeks for another chance — and it proved to be worth it.

After the heart-break of her early exit with partner Annabelle Smith in the 3m synchronised springboard, Keeney saved her very best dive for last and claimed a silver medal in the individual event on Friday night (AWST).

It completes an emotional resurgence for the 28-year-old, who missed the Tokyo Games because an injury-interrupted lead-up meant she didn’t make the cut at Australian trials.

Keeney became the first Australian to win a medal on the 3m springboard with her incredible final dive — a forward two-and-a-half somersaults with two twists — scoring her a 78.20 to take her total to 343.10 and second-place.

“I can’t believe it, it’s something I’ve dreamed of for so long,” she said.

“The event is so competitive and anything can happen... for nothing go wrong for me, it’s more of a relief than anything.

“That dive, I don’t think she (Smith) had ever done that on that dive and she could do a million more and never have that mistake happen again, but that is the sport of diving and that’s the difficulty of it but that’s also the beauty of it.

“The two-week break was rough, but it was also good to have time to process that, come to terms with what had happened, because it’s not what either of us had in mind and we both secretly hoping and I think expecting a medal.”

Keeney split the superstar Chinese pair of Chen Yiwen, the runaway champion 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 but first individual silverware after bringing a bronze medal home from the synchronised event in Brazil.

“I’ve never had a silver medal in the individual before. I’ve got bronze, I’ve had a lot of fourths as well, so this feels extra special,” she said.

She spent the next four years dedicating herself to defending her place on the podium ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

That included pushing through the pain of a chronic knee and shoulder injury.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Tokyo Games 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.

“That wasn’t the best for me mentally. I was really struggling with injuries, I tied a lot of my self-worth to how I was doing with diving, so I wasn’t diving good, so I was really just struggling,” Keeney said.

“I knew there would be light at the end of the tunnel, it’s hard to see it sometimes though.

“I have done a lot of work with my team behind the scenes to get fit, get firing again and then really just find the love for the sport again.”

She watched on from her home in Australia and cried her way through the competition. But Keeney got to work, with both her coaches and sports psychologist, ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

It all clicked in Birmingham and 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.

“Being able to perform in Birmingham, it felt like a weight off my shoulders,” Keeney said.

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.

It’s the spot she would retain as she stepped on the podium in Paris.