EMOTIONAL Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix claimed medal glory for Team GB at the Paris Olympics.
The London born teen declared last week that she wanted to emerge from the shadow of her father, Fred Sirieix, who is a TV favourite from his time on First Dates.
And her medal-winning joint performance with Lois Toulson in the women’s 10m synchronised platform diving has allowed her do to just that.
The Team GB stars fluctuated between third and second place during their dives, with Chinese pair Yuxi Chen and Hongchan Quan proving too strong to topple.
Medal hopes appeared to be on the rocks after falling down to fifth place in the standings after the third dive.
However, a superb Forward 3½ Somersaults tuck dive powered them back up to second.
They then ended strongly on a pike Back 2½ Somersaults 1½ Twists to secure their xxx medal with a final score of 304.38.
Flagbearer Tom Daley won silver in the men’s event with Noah Williams, with China once again infallible.
Speaking to SunSport last week, Spendolini-Sirieix said: “At the beginning, all I got was that I was Fred’s daughter. I wasn’t Andrea.
“Then people realised, she’s more than just someone’s daughter, she has a lot more to say.
OLYMPICS FREE BETS – SIGN UP OFFERS AND DEAL FOR PARIS 2024
“I feel like that has helped me come out of this shadow. I’m really proud of my dad. And he does incredible things. But I want to build my own legacy.
“Also for my children in the future. I don’t want them to just be someone’s daughter or someone’s son. I want them to be their own person.
“I’m being recognised for the achievements that I have, not just from being 50 per cent of someone’s DNA.
“It’s been a progression since Tokyo. I’ve grown into the woman that I am today. Everything has progressed and it’s so nice to have my own identity.”
More to follow.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
