Hannah Starling hailed her seventh-place finish in the 3m springboard final at the World Championships as one of the greatest achievements of her career.
Starling advanced out of the preliminary round in fourth place before squeezing into the final as the 12th and final diver at Barcelona’s iconic Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc.
However Starling was back up into the top ten in the final, ranking seventh overall after putting together a list of five dives that scored her 326.20points.
He Zi took gold ahead of Chinese teammate Wang Han with an effort of 383.40 with Pamela Ware claiming bronze and Starling delighted with seventh.
“I’m really, really happy with that performance,” said Starling. “I went in knowing I had absolutely nothing to lose.
“Qualifying in 12th is the best place to qualify because you get another chance to see if you can improve and if you can’t then it’s not a problem.
“I’m really happy I finished seventh because it is a big achievement for me. The first dive I was nervous but I love diving so much and I always wanted to be a diver so I just wanted to enjoy it.
“This is my dream and I want to enjoy it. Also the more relaxed you are the better you dive.”
© Sportsbeat 2013