Jack Laugher admitted it had been good to blow away the cobwebs as he and fellow Olympic champion Chris Mears marked their first appearance since Rio 2016 with victory at the British National Cup in Plymouth.
The duo made history last summer when they became Great Britain’s first diving Olympic champions after finishing top of the pile in the men’s 3m synchro.
And after two and half months off from the sport, it was back to business for the duo at the Plymouth Life Centre over the weekend as they successfully took the title.
The two were joined by a large number of the Rio 2016 diving contingent at the three day competition, with Tom Daley, Dan Goodfellow, Freddie Woodward, Tonia Couch, Grace Reid and Lois Oylson all in action at the season curtain raiser.
And with the World Series starting in Beijing next month and the World Championships in Budapest in July, Laugher was pleased with his and Mears’ showing.
“It was brilliant to start the season out so positively, 415.02 is a great score, especially as we’re only in February now so we’ve got a long way to go til the World Championships,” said Laugher.
"We've got a lot to work on, but it's a really positive start.
“Coming off the Olympics being our last competition it was a bit daunting, but I think we had a really positive performance and I'm really happy with how it's gone.
“We've both just had about two and a half months off, it was well needed, and well deserved really.
“Obviously we do sport day in and day out and we're pushing ourselves every day. Coming up to the Games it was a really stressful time.
“It was a well-needed break to relax and re-gather ourselves to get back to where we needed to be so we can start fresh and we're wanting to become better every day.
“It was a bit difficult coming back, but we enjoyed ourselves and we had a good time."
Laugher also picked up gold in the 1m springboard event earlier on the Friday although he withdrew from the following day’s 3m springboard – an event in which he won silver in at last year’s Olympic Games in Rio – due to a slight injury concern with Jack Haslam instead walking away with gold.
Rio 2016 bronze medallist Daley finished on the podium in the two events he contested on Friday.
The 22-year-old had opted not to compete in his trademark 10m platform individual but instead went in the synchro, renewing his 3m mixed synchro partnership with Reid to take gold before also taking silver with Couch in the 10m mixed platform behind Toulson and Matty Lee.
His absence in the 10m individual platform left it to others to take the spotlight on Sunday but Goodfellow – who claimed bronze in Rio alongside Daley in the 10m synchro – was unable to capitalise, struggling with an injury to finish fourth as Noah Williams took gold ahead of Lee.
The women’s equivalent went the way of Southampton Diving’s Gemma McArthur who won her first national title with a score of 310.80.
Couch and Toulson scored 294.24 for gold in the women’s 10m synchro while Matthew Dixon and Noah Williams took the men’s title on 391.86 – Daley and Goodfellow opting not compete together in Plymouth.
Back on the springboard and it was City of Leeds diver Katherine Torrance who shone the brightest, with a hat-trick of golds in the 1m and 3m springboard as well as alongside Reid in the 3m synchro.
It was the first time the two had competed together but they put in a solid performance to score 274.05 with Olympian Reid, who eventually finished with two gold and two silver medals,
“It was not a perfect competition but as a test event to see where I’m at, I’m pleased,” she said.
“It’s sort of new to me. After the summer I’ve not had that delayed break before, I’m new getting back after a major championships.
“It’s a bit new to me but two golds, two silvers is good. More importantly, my actual diving and my synchro with Katherine and Tom seems to be in a good place.
“I’ve definitely got room to improve though. You don’t want to be diving out of your skin so early in the season.” Sportsbeat 2017