Grace Reid holds nerve to qualify for Olympic final at Paris 2024

By Will Jennings in Paris

Grace Reid held her nerve to dive into an Olympic final ‘battlefield’ – and revealed ice baths, diet cokes and coffees with loved ones have held the key to her Paris success.

The Edinburgh star, 28, nearly quit the sport after a soulless Tokyo experience but is now back firing on all cylinders both in and out of the pool.

She qualified in seventh to book her place in today’s 3m springboard final and keep her hopes of an unlikely medal alive.

Reid, who finished 19th in Japan three years ago, has devoted greater attention towards looking after herself away from the diving board and insists she is heading into the Paris Aquatics Centre showdown in the best mental state possible.

“I’ve realised that when I step out of this pool, I am more importantly Grace the person, and she needs to be taken care of,” she said.

“When I’m feeling confident in myself and when I take care of Grace, I dive well.

“I didn’t realise how much I needed those social connections.

“For me, just being able to give my mum a hug, see my friends and family for a diet coke – it sounds so simple but it’s something that gives me so much value and helps me recharge emotionally.

“I’ll have a very quiet evening – I’ve got another ice bath booked – I’ll relax, refresh, refuel, rest and go out and get a coffee with my family and boyfriend to actually be a human being for a little bit and decompress.

“When you’re going into a battlefield and it’s really pressurised, if you’re feeling emotionally chilled out and replenished, that’s only going to help the performance.”

Reid qualified alongside fellow Team GB star Yasmin Harper, who won 3m synchro bronze alongside Scarlett Mew Jensen on the opening day of the Games, on Thursday morning.

The Scot, who competes in the final this afternoon, added: “If I go in and dive the way I know I can, I will walk away from this pool happy.

“I’ve put in so much hard work and I just really want to let that show – the results will take care of themselves.”

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