Saturday morning was all about the female athletes on the 3-meter board. A total of 22 athletes competed against each other in the preliminaries, each with the aim of beating the competition with five perfect dives. Only the best could secure a place in one of the two semi-finals, and the competition was fierce. Round after round, it became clear that often only a few points decided whether an athlete progressed or was eliminated from the competition.
Maximum concentration was required, as every mistake could cost valuable points - even a double run-up meant a two-point deduction per score. In addition, strength and technique had to be judged wisely: The performance in the preliminary competition had to be sufficient to progress, but it was important not to overdo it, as the semi-final followed, which again required top performance to secure a place in the final in the afternoon.
The preliminary round was already exciting. After two rounds, the favorites emerged, but with each subsequent dive, the rankings were reshuffled. After a total of 110 dives, it was clear which 12 athletes still had a chance of winning gold and for whom the competition was already over.
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After a short break, the semi-finals followed, in which the high level of this event was once again demonstrated. Now it was no longer enough to make it into the top 12 - only three athletes per semi-final could qualify for the final. In this pressure situation, not every athlete kept a cool head. Some took the lead early on and defended their place lap after lap. However, there were always surprises, as a single dive could change the entire ranking.
After 72 dives in the semi-finals, the six finalists were decided, including Jette Müller from Germany. In view of the top performances that had already been shown, we could look forward to a thrilling final in the afternoon.
