Anthony Harding admits he 'copied' Jack Laugher after diving gold

Anthony Harding owned up to plagiarising the work of diving partner Jack Laugher to win Commonwealth gold.

“It’s like copying homework from the smart kid,” said Harding. “I’ve watched him for 12 years in training and I’ve just copied everything he’s done. The synchro is pretty much perfect.”

Only Chris Mears has ever matched jumping Jack’s sheer height off the springboard and they went all the way to Britain’s first Olympic diving gold at Rio 2016.

Harding, 22, seems to already have managed it.

The pair won world silver in their first competition last month and now a Commonwealth title, Laugher’s seventh and second in Birmingham.

He said: “Diving with Jack has been an absolutely massive opportunity for me.

“There is that pressure where you feel like you have to do well because he’s had so many gold medals, I just have to put in a steady performance.”

This summer, Team England, supported by funding raised by National Lottery players, comprises of over 400 athletes, all vying for medal success.

Steady and not spectacular was all that was required to beat a lukewarm field of five with an overall score of 438.33, enough for victory by a yawning margin of 61.56 points.

It completed another three-peat for Laugher who has now held both 1m and 3m synchro titles since Glasgow 2014.

Laugher said: “The feeling of winning is extraordinary, it’s the reason why I do this and it’s what keeps the fire burning.”

Matty Lee claimed his first major gold medal since Olympic glory with Tom Daley by taking the 10m synchro title alongside Noah Williams.

The English duo prevailed by a margin of 15 points from Canada with a total of 429.78.

Lee finally got his hands on a Commonwealth medal having missed out on Glasgow due to injury and competed at Gold Coast 2018 with a niggle.

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