Canadian divers Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray have won a bronze medal in the men's 10-meter synchronized diving event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This is the first time Canada has ever won a medal in this event.

The Canadians came out strong and were in second place after the first round. They eventually finished with a score of 422.13, less than four points ahead of the Mexican team. The British finished with 463.44 and the Chinese took gold with 490.35.

Wiens and Zsombor-Murray have only been diving together for about three years. They got together after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but they've known each other since they were young.

"I think I met Nathan probably in 2012 in Saskatoon, in my hometown, for our junior national championships. He was just some little kid. I was just some little kid," Wiens said. "We got really close the older we got and we came out two of the best 10-metre divers and happened to somehow make the Olympics and get a bronze medal. It's unbelievable."

Through years of competing together, they became good friends. So when the opportunity came to pair up, they took it.

But a major hurdle is that Wiens lives in Saskatoon, while Zsombor-Murray trains in Montreal. Ahead of Paris, they only spent a few weeks focusing on the synchronized event.

Zsombor-Murray said they were able to come together so quickly because they have complementary styles, they count through each manoeuvre and view film footage to work on matching.

"If there's slight difference in technique, we make up for it in timing. So if he jumps a little higher, I'll have to take off a little later – that sort of thing," the 21-year-old said.

Wiens said part of the fun of competing together is supporting one another.

After a strong first three dives, the Canadians had some minor inconsistencies in the latter part of the competition, but Wiens said they stayed focus.

"Dives four and five – I messed up four a little bit. Nathan messed up five a little bit," he said. "Coming in, we knew that he was strong in the front and I was strong in the reverses. … At the end of the day, what we've got to do is bring each other up."

Wiens and Zsombor-Murray are just a year apart and have been swimming since as long as they can remember. The former thinks he was probably swimming on his own by age three and diving by age six.

"I actually started in my grandpa's pool, and he has a little diving board," he said. "That's where I started diving because I was getting taught by my grandpa and my uncle and taught how to go headfirst. I didn't know I was going to turn it into an Olympic medal."

Zsombor-Murray has a similar memory, swimming with his family in the summer, being launched off his dad's shoulders in the pool. "So I was always very familiar with the water. Very comfortable in it."

Zsombor-Murray and Wiens will be back at the Aquatics Centre next week for the individual 10-meter competition.