Spendolini-Sirieix conquers demons to snatch bronze

When her diving career is over, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix wants to be a journalist, sharing other people's stories and finding the humanity in sport. "You get to learn about people," the 19-year-old said, "and that's a beautiful thing". In Paris, Spendolini-Sirieix wrote a comeback story of her own, standing on the Olympic podium with Lois Toulson after winning bronze in the women’s synchronised 10m platform. It was the sort of tale of resilience and spirit she aspires to tell when no longer in the thick of the action.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

When Spendolini-Sirieix made her Olympics debut in Tokyo three years ago, the experience was overwhelming to the point that she almost quit diving at the age of 16. The famous part of her surname – that of her father, First Dates maitre d’ and TV personality Fred Sirieix – raised her profile ahead of that Olympics debut, unfairly inflating medal expectations in what was her first major competition. Then, when competition began, she suffered through the “twisties”, the same disorienting mental block gymnastics star Simone Biles experienced at the same Games. Returning home, Spendolini-Sirieix felt as if she had been a disappointment and struggled with her mental health.

But Spendolini-Sirieix did not give up. Three years on from Tokyo, Spendolini-Sirieix deserved to be recognised in her own right as she returned to the Olympics in Paris. Along with Toulson, the pair had won silver at last year’s World Championship in the 10m synchronised platform to go along with gold medals at the European and Commonwealth Games in 2022. Her comeback was the triumph that ultimately mattered already ahead of her return to the Olympics, as was the openness in which she had discussed and dealt with her issues.