OLYMPICS LONDON 2012: Barrow and Couch remain realistic about exit

By Paul Smith, Sportsbeat, London 2012

SARAH Barrow and Tonia Couch admit they were disappointment to miss out on a London 2012 Olympic medal, but they are keen to put their result into perspective.

REALISTIC: Disappointed duo relish amazing experience despite leaving without medal

The Great British 10m synchronised diving duo placed fifth out of eight at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, where they were backed by a vociferous home crowd.

They had led after a fine first round, but mistakes proved costly as they slipped down the leader board and saw China's Chen Ruolin and Wang Hao eventually claim gold.

But Couch believes they can still be proud of their efforts, having backed up the European Championships gold they won earlier this year by finishing as the top-placed European pair.

"We are gutted we didn't get a medal," said 23-year-old Couch. "But we've got to remember we are the top Europeans.

"There was definitely a bit of pressure in that we had to beat the European teams, so we can't regret anything.

"We scored highly and we had an amazing time which is definitely the main thing."

Barrow, who like Couch was born in Plymouth, added: "We came up with international personal bests and we qualified for the world series next year.

"In the top eight everybody wants to get a medal but we got a bronze medal at the World Cup in February and are the top Europeans so we are happy."

© Sportsbeat 2012