Bronze medallists Rylan Wiens of Canada and Nathan Zsombor-Murray celebrate after the men's synchronized 10-metre diving event on Monday.Leah Millis/Reuters
Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray won Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in men’s 10-metre synchronized diving Monday.
In a tense contest that came down to the final dive – which for them was a double backwards somersault with a 1 1/2 twist – the duo snagged the bronze medal, edging out the Mexican team, which had claimed third at last year’s world championships.
“It just doesn’t feel real. This is what I’ve been working for 16 years, and now that it actually happened, it’s like, am I dreaming?” Zsombor-Murray said.
Added 22-year-old Wiens: “We’re more than thrilled. Absolutely stoked. Amazing. It’s an amazing feeling, I can’t even explain it.”
The Canadians came out strong with an inward dive pike that left them in second place, tied with the British, after the first of six rounds. Chinese divers Lian Junjie and Yang Hao took an early lead in the event and continued to widen the gap with the rest of the field throughout the competition.
By the midway point, the British duo had safely pulled ahead into the silver-medal position, leaving the Canadians fighting for the last spot on the podium. Both Mexico and Ukraine put up strong scores throughout but were never able to unseat the Canadians from the bronze position.
After the Mexican team finished their final dive, Wiens and Zsombor-Murray knew they had clinched and began jumping up and down with delight. It’s the second time the pair have made history. In 2022, they earned Canada’s first world championship medal in the 10-metre synchro event at the World Aquatics Championships.
Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray of Team Canada compete in the Men’s Synchronised 10m Platform Final on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Aquatics Centre on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France.Clive Rose/Getty Images
The pair have only been diving together for about three years. They got together after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but they’ve known each other since they were young.
“I think I met Nathan probably in 2012 in Saskatoon, in my hometown, for our junior national championships. He was just some little kid. I was just some little kid,” Wiens said. “We got really close the older we got and we came out two of the best 10-metre divers and happened to somehow make the Olympics and get a bronze medal. It’s unbelievable.”
Through years of competing together, they became good friends. So when the opportunity came to pair up, they took it.
But a major hurdle is that Wiens lives in Saskatoon, while Zsombor-Murray trains in Montreal. Ahead of Paris, they only spent a few weeks focusing on the synchronized event.
Zsombor-Murray said they were able to come together so quickly because they have complementary styles, they count through each manoeuvre and view film footage to work on matching.
“If there’s slight difference in technique, we make up for it in timing. So if he jumps a little higher, I’ll have to take off a little later – that sort of thing,” the 21-year-old said.
Wiens said part of the fun of competing together is supporting one another.
After a strong first three dives, the Canadians had some minor inconsistencies in the latter part of the competition, but Wiens said they stayed focus.
“Dives four and five – I messed up four a little bit. Nathan messed up five a little bit,” he said. “Coming in, we knew that he was strong in the front and I was strong in the reverses. … At the end of the day, what we’ve got to do is bring each other up.”
Canada's Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray hug after competing in the men's 10-meter synchronized platform diving final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.Lee Jin-man/The Associated Press
Wiens and Zsombor-Murray are just a year apart and have been swimming since as long as they can remember. The former thinks he was probably swimming on his own by age three and diving by age six.
“I actually started in my grandpa’s pool, and he has a little diving board,” he said. “That’s where I started diving because I was getting taught by my grandpa and my uncle and taught how to go headfirst. I didn’t know I was going to turn it into an Olympic medal.”
Zsombor-Murray has a similar memory, swimming with his family in the summer, being launched off his dad’s shoulders in the pool. “So I was always very familiar with the water. Very comfortable in it.”
The Canadians finished Monday’s contest with a score of 422.13, less than four points ahead of the Mexican team. The British finished with 463.44 and the Chinese took gold with 490.35.
Zsombor-Murray and Wiens will be back at the Aquatics Centre next week for the individual 10-metre competition.