IRISH ATHLETE JAKE Passmore’s chances of reaching the Olympic Games remain uncertain after he finished in 17th place in the semi-final of the 3M Springboard at the World Aquatic Championships in Doha, Qatar this morning.
The 18-year-old could still earn an invitation to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, though must wait until June to discover his fate.
Passmore, who qualified for the semi-finals on Tuesday, failed to secure the top-12 spot required to reach the final.
The teenager replaced his fourth dive with a high tariff dive that only he and one other diver in the world have attempted in Doha.
Passmore switched a forward 2 ½ somersault, one twist with a degree of difficulty of 3.0 to a forward 3 ½ somersault, one twist with a 3.7 DD, resulting in a disappointing score of 40.70.
The Leeds-based athlete’s overall score of 364.50, reflected higher scores in four out of his six dives from the preliminary round, with his highest score of 67.50 coming from a back 2 ½ somersaults.
“I’m a bit disappointed with the result because I knew I could finish higher up, but I’m still proud of how far I’ve come from last year and hopefully, I can improve again next year,” he said afterwards.
There was similar disappointment for Ciara McGing at the weekend, while Clare Cryan will be the final individual Irish diver in action in Doha when she features in the 3M Springboard on Thursday.
The 30-year-old was just eight points off making the final and securing a place in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan last year.
56 divers will be competing in the preliminary round. The top 18 will advance to the semi-finals, where they have a chance to qualify for the Olympics by securing a top-12 spot.
Cryan will also be in action on Saturday when she will compete alongside Passmore in the Mixed 3M Synchro Final.
Meanwhile, swimming at the World Aquatics Championships begins on Sunday and lasts until 18 February, with 13 Irish athletes, including Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry, due to compete.
