Chris Mears (diver)

This year marked Mears's return to the sport after his illness. On a National stage, he competed in the synchro with Nicholas Robinson-Baker as diving partner, claiming Gold at National Cup and again at National Championships. He was placed 4th with Robinson-Baker at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.[8]

Mears won Gold at National Cup in 2011, and Bronze at British Championships. Mears and Robinson-Baker won a silver medal during the 2011 FINA Diving World Series, were placed fourth in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

2012 saw him take silver at National Cup and Bronze at British Championships. On 11 June 2012, the British Olympic Association announced that Mears had been selected to represent Great Britain in the 3-m springboard and 3M synchro, at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Mears's father, Paul was nominated by the B.O.A to carry the Olympic Torch during the 70-day relay in recognition of the time he spent at his son's bedside during his severe illness in 2009. Mears made it to the final of the men's 3-m springboard, placing 9th. His last dive was scored at 100.70, the highest scored dive of the competition. Mears and Robinson-Baker placed 5th in the synchro.[9]

Mears competed in the World Series circuit with diving partner Robinson-Baker in the synchro, and also competed in the individual event. The pair won bronze in Edinburgh and bronze twice in Guadalajara, Mexico. Mears also scored a total of 455.50 points- fourth position in the individual 3m in Guadalajara, Mexico- his best individual World Series performance to date. Mears and Robinson-Baker ended 2013 ranked seventh best in the world by FINA.[10] Mears also participated in the 2012 European Championships, finishing 8th in the 3 m springboard and 5th in the synchro event on the same occasion.[11]

Mears also competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's 3-metre springboard individually, and the 3-metre synchronised springboard event with his team-mate Nicholas Robinson-Baker. At the Olympics the pair finished in fifth place, while Mears was ninth in the individual competition.[12]

In 2013, Mears teamed up with Jack Laugher in the 3-metre Springboard, but did not qualify for the final of the World Championships in Barcelona.[13]

Mears spent the beginning of the year recovering from an ankle injury at the Team GB Intensive Rehabilitation Facility at Bisham Abbey and so did not compete at 2014 National Cup in Southend. He also missed the first two legs of the 2014 FINA Diving World Series held in China and Dubai due to the injury.[14]

In the beginning of the year, Mears relocated to Leeds to train alongside Laugher. The John Charles Centre for Sport is one of the UK's high performance centres for diving, and plays host to all 3-metre competitors competing for the British Diving Team. Mears and Laugher first competed together that year in the World Diving Series in London in April 2014 and finished fourth.[15] In May 2014, the duo won bronze in the 3m synchronised at the FINA Diving World Series in Moscow.[16]

Mears and Laugher won their first gold medal on the 3 metre synchronised springboard at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[17]

In 2015, Mears and Laugher won bronze in the World Championships in Kazan.[18]

Chris Mears and Jack Laugher at the 2016 Olympics in Rio

In May 2016, Mears and Jack Laugher won the 3m synchronised springboard at the European Championships in London.[19]

Mears was selected alongside syncro partner Laugher to represent Great Britain in the 2016 Rio Olympics where they won a gold medal in the Men's 3m Synchronised Diving event, scoring a total of 454.32 points beating the American pair Sam Dorman and Michael Hixon (450.21) and the Chinese pair Qin Kai and Cao Yuan (443.70). This is the first ever Olympic gold medal won in British diving.[1]

Laugher and Mears won three silvers in the 3m Synchro in four events of the Fina/NVC Diving World Series, two in China[20] and one in Russia.[21][22] However they finished out of the medal position in fourth at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships.[23]

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games held at the Gold Coast, Australia, Mears and Laugher successfully defended their title, winning gold in the men's 3 metre synchronised springboard event.[24]

At the 2018 FINA Diving World Cup held in Wuhan, Mears and Laugher won a silver in 3 metre synchro springboard.[25] At the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow/Edinburgh, the pair also won silver in the 3 metre synchro.[26]

Mears took a year out from competition starting October 2018 to focus on music and other projects.[27][28]

On 6 August 2019, Mears announced his retirement from diving on Instagram, choosing to focus on his music career instead.[29]