Team GB diver Jack Laugher was unsuccessful in his attempts to challenge for a medal in the 3m springboard event after missing out on a spot in the semi-finals.
Despite bowing out in the early stages, the 17-year-old hopeful talks to Sports Mole about his future plans of competing for glory, what went wrong on that day in the Aquatics Centre, and whether his compatriot Tom Daley can prove his doubters wrong and clinch an Olympic medal.
Unfortunately you didn't make it to the semi-finals of the 3m springboard Olympic event. What do you think went wrong?
"I really don't know to be honest. I haven't had a competition like that in a long time where I haven't actually performed to my best. I've been trying to figure out what went wrong but I just didn't feel myself the entire time, so it was a little bit of a weird experience for me. But I think I've just got to take it as experience and move on from the disappointment from not doing well and use it to my advantage and try to prevent it from happening in the future."
Do you think perhaps because you were the youngest competitor in the event and the fact that it was a home Olympics put added pressure on you?
"It might have added a little bit of pressure to be honest. A lot of the divers have a lot more experience than I do. I feel really young and I'm obviously a lot younger than everyone else but I don't know what the actual reason was why I didn't perform but it might have been to do with that. That's something that we've got to work out when we get back training, I guess."
How do you feel about your compatriot Chris Mears coming in ninth place in the 3m springboard final?
"He's absolutely brilliant. He did really, really well to hold his own within the type of competition he was up against. I'm hugely proud of him."
Tom Daley is competing in the 10m platform this week. How well do you think he can do following his disappointment in the sychronised dive?
"I think he's going to come back really strong from that, to be honest. I thought it was a little bit disappointing for him to come fourth knowing that he was so close to the medals but he's going to come out really fighting and really strong.
"I think he's going to absolutely smash it, to be honest. The form he's been in this year has been absolutely brilliant so I'd really like him to do well. It would erase the thoughts of what everyone's said about him failing, which isn't true. It would be really nice for him to smash it and show everyone what he's made of."
So, what's next for you now?
"I start training in September and I've got the junior world championships in October so it will be a chance for me to go up against athletes my own age, so that'll be nice. Then, I've got the nationals in January so I've got quite a long block of training and learning new dives and trying new things and then hopefully I'll get it all together for next year."
Danielle Joynson
