For about four months Jake Passmore was waiting on the phone call that would confirm or deny his Olympic fate. When that call did come last Friday week, two days after he turned 19, telling him to get ready for Paris, his initial reaction was one of pleasantly numbed surprise.
“I almost don’t really have a word to describe the feeling,” he says. “Not nervous ... I don’t know, absolutely blank.”
With that news, Passmore became only the third Irish male diver to qualify for the Olympics after Oliver Dingley, who made Rio 2016 and Tokyo, 68 years after Dubliner Eddie Heron competed in the 1948 Games in London.
By his own admission, Passmore had always dreamed more about the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, before securing his place in the final of the 3-metre springboard at the World Aquatic Championships in Doha last February.
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Though he finished in 17th place, only the top-12 securing automatic Olympic qualification, each country is limited to two divers per event, giving Passmore every chance of qualifying once those country quotas were reallocated.
“I was 90 per cent sure I’d got the spot anyway, because no one who has finished 17th hasn’t gotten to the Olympics, but waiting for that call was brutal, not having a definite yes or no if I was going.
“Then the call came from Damien Ball, the current head of diving, he was over in Serbia for the European Championships, two days after my birthday, so it was a nice little present.”
Passmore’s performance in Doha, one of only two divers to complete a forward three-and-a-half somersault and one twist, backed up his steady progress in recent years.
Though born and raised in Bradford – his grandmother Elisabeth Barker is from Dublin – he never once considered competing for Team GB: “No that was never in my mind. As soon as I started getting serious about international diving when I was about 10, and it was my first ever Irish nationals, [I] decided that I’m competing for Ireland.
“And I stuck with that and I never thought about changing my mind. It was always something I wanted to do and it’s paid off massively.
“Paris was always in the back of my mind, but it was a hope, judging by other competitions, I was never sure it would happen. It’s not so much the mindset, it’s just a new competition, I’ll go in and do six dives the best I can. If I get to do more in a semi and final, great, if not it’s still a great experience. I have no expectations, other than give it everything, that’s my own only goal.”
He currently trains in Leeds under his coach Marc Holdsworth, who also works with some of the top British divers.
“I train every day with Jack Laugher and Lois Toulson who are multiple-time Olympians at diving. I’ve pretty much had a rundown for the last four years with them, I feel like I should be almost familiar with the situation at this stage.
“I’ve still got quite strong connections with Ireland through family, I’ve got a lot of family members from Ireland. I’m here all the time so it’s not even a second home, it’s a home.”
