Mitcham scores Commonwealth Games silver

Out diver Matthew Mitcham picked up a silver medal in the men’s one metre springboard competition overnight.

Mitcham lost out to Canadian Alexandre Despatie, but was well clear on bronze medallist and countryman Scott Robertson.

Despatie is a springboard specialist, having won his first Commonwealth Games gold medal competing at Kuala Lumpur at the age of 13. He was the  one metre and three metre springboard world champion from 2005 to 2007.

Mitcham told reporters at Delhi after the final dive that he was surprised by his performance.

“He has been around for a long time and he’s been dominating the springboard for a large number of years and it would be unrealistic of me to think I’d beat him,” he said.

“I was really quite surprised I managed to keep up with him for the entire event. At one stage I was beating him. The rest of the time I was just a few points behind him.

“I’m not comfortable on a springboard. God, I’m so nervous when I get up on a springboard because I don’t know what it’s going to do underneath me but these ones behaved.

In fact, I think they’re the nicest springboards I’ve ever met. Even so I’ll be more comfortable on the platform.”

Mtcham will compete in his pet event, the 10 metre platform, on Wednesday night our time, hoping to replicate his gold medal success at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Mitcham is also competing in the three metre synchronised springboard, 10 metre synchronised platform at the Dehli Commonwealth Games.