January 2009. Chris Mears participates in the Youth Olympic Festival in Australia. The British diver is one of the best. But as the 16th year old dives of the platform, he has no idea what is about to unfold.
As he hits the water, something's not right. Something is terribly wrong. He ruptures his spleen and is hurried to the hospital.
But the nightmare continues - he loses 5 pints of blood and is rushed into surgery. But a 7 hour seizure and 3 day coma follow.
His slow recovery only starts after a month long stay in a Sydney hospital. But a lot has happened in three years.
August 2012. Chris Mears competes with the world's top divers in Olympic Finals in London. At 19, he's the youngster in the 3 meter springboard.
He almost doesn't qualify for the semi-final, but a last dive produces an astounding personal best of 91.2.Then in the final, though he finishes 8th, his four-and-a-half somersault, wins another personal best, 100.7.
But for Chris, it has been more than just a story of athletic excellence. It's one of personal accomplishment.
“It was fantastic. I’ve not had much time to reflect – I think next week it will really hit me. To make a final was incredible."
“I didn’t really think of the other divers in the competition – I just thought it felt fantastic to be competing with divers that I look up to. I always aspire to be as good as them – to be able to compete with them in the Olympics is amazing.”
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