16th FINA World Championships

July 24 - August 9, 2015

TOM DALEY: WE DIVED, AND NOW HERE WE ARE ON TOP OF THE PODIUM SINGING THE ANTHEM

29.07.2015, 21:49 Right after a set of medals in the mixed team event was contested, the SPORT winners answered reporters' questions.

The British pair of Tom Daley and surprised journalists when they openly admitted that their success was 'unexpected'. They said their primary goal was to participate in the inaugural event at the FINA World Championships in .

"We didn't have any expectations before the finals, we were just diving. But the result was astonishing. We knew that the Chinese athletes were serious competitors, then all of a sudden, everything was over: we dived, and now here we are on top of the podium singing the anthem. I still can't believe it is for real. Are we competing with China? We have beaten them twice, today in Kazan, and in 2009 in Rome. But I am not sure how we did it. Probably, through hard work and giving up the sweets and parties," said Tom Daley, the gold medallist of the competition.

"I still can't believe we've won! We were doing it mainly for fun, but surprisingly, the result was amazing. I am very grateful to my partner for making a great duet with me. It was a delight to dive together with him," said Rebecca Gallantree, paying a compliment to her partner.

The Ukrainian duet found two positive aspects in their final results. While the athletes from the Eastern Europe won silver medals, they also emphasised that it was important for them to beat the strong divers from China.

"In general, we are greatly satisfied with the result. We would always have one step left to reach the podium, but this time we are second. I believe nobody expected us to achieve that. I am glad that we did it. Does it take me long to get on well with my partners? It totally depends on training sessions alone. Your approach to training determines how you get on with your partners. I keep no secrets!" confessed Oleksandr Gorshkovozov.

"I am really happy that we took second. Of course, it was really hard. But we are happy. Finally, we have beaten the Chinese athletes, who are very strong in diving," jokingly admitted Iuliia Prokopchuk.

The Chinese pair openly confessed that they are now losing their previously gained grounds and need to work hard to maintain their high status.

"I had a completely new experience compared to the mixed team event. This discipline definitely has potential. I believe it is a very good practice," said Xie Siyi.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate the athletes from Great Britain and Ukraine. They are really skilful divers and deserve the results they showed today. As for us, it was a completely new experience for me. I totally agree with my partner. To be honest, Xie Siyi and I were a bit nervous during the finals. I believe we should continue working on our team interaction. Individual and pair events are not that different from each other. Just for now, we should admit that we are weaker than our competitors in some aspects and that we need to go on working hard," said four-time Olympic champion Chen Ruolin at the end of the press conference.

Press Office of Organising Committee for 16th FINA World Championships

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