Mears and I almost quit, says Laugher
Jack Laugher and Chris Mears have revealed how close they came to calling time on their careers after struggling to cope with becoming the first British divers to win Olympic gold.
Laugher and Mears were 21 and 23 respectively when they reached the pinnacle of their sport by claiming a historic synchronised threemetre springboard gold at Rio 2016.
“Both of us struggled,” said Laugher. “It was a lot of fun and there were a lot of perks. Having the title of Olympic champion brought a lot of new experiences and the chance to meet a lot of people and have a lot of fun.
“But it’s talked about quite a lot – the post-olympic blues. To actually win the Olympic Games was very difficult to deal with afterwards.
“I struggled and went down a bit. I lost my routine in what I was doing because I was taking time off and not seeing anyone or doing anything. Going from such a high, back down to normality is really difficult.”
It was a similar story for Mears, an accomplished DJ, who contemplated retiring at the top of his game to focus on his music. However, after a break of more than two months the duo decided to give it another shot and return to training ahead of a tilt at a first world title in Budapest tomorrow.
“We did the National Cup [in February] and they announced us as Olympic champions and MBES and I didn’t expect that,” says Mears. “It was a bit weird for both of us. We both looked at each other and laughed, but I didn’t really find it funny.
“Then, when we went to the World Series, I felt a little bit like everyone was watching us and expecting a bit more of us. Before, I felt like we were almost underdogs who were doing really well but didn’t have as much expectation on us.”
The pair have had to readjust to life under a new coach after their long-term mentor Adrian Hinchcliffe was not offered a full-time time role by British Diving and quit to take up a position as Diving Australia head coach this year.
A furious Laugher called British Diving’s decision “an insult”, but the duo have enjoyed success under new coach Adam Smallwood, picking up silver medals at three of the four World Series events this season, behind the victorious Chinese pair on each occasion.
Besides Mears, Laugher says he is also reaping the benefits of another person in his life – fellow British diver Lois Toulson, who came close to a medal at Rio last summer and began a relationship with Laugher at the start of this year.
“It’s so nice having someone who you share the same passion with,” says Laugher. “Someone who can be there by my side through good competitions and bad competitions – someone who I can share my thoughts and feelings with.
“Having Chris here and Lois as well means I’m so stable now. I have two people who know me so well.”