'Proud' dad watches daughter win Olympic medal

Yasmin Harper, left, celebrated her birthday with an Olympic medal alongside Scarlett Mew Jensen

The father of Team GB diver Yasmin Harper said he was "unbelievably proud" after she won Britain’s first female diving medal at an Olympics for 64 years.

Harper, who trains at Sheffield's Pond Forge, picked up the bronze on Saturday in the women's synchronised 3m springboard in Paris.

The Chester-born athlete, who turned 24 on Sunday, held her nerve alongside partner Scarlett Mew Jensen in an "electric stadium", her dad Sean Harper said.

"I'm unbelievably proud of her. She has worked so hard," he added.

The pair were in tears after winning the medal on the first day of competition at the Olympics, snatched from the Australian team following a mistake in their dive.

"I feel very sorry for them but so pleased for Yasmin," Mr Harper said.

"But in diving, you just never know until the end. You've just got to keep going. Real credit to the girls, they just kept going."

The podium win was Team GB's first medal on an opening day since 2004, which Mr Harper said was "absolutely fantastic".

Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen won bronze for their performance in Paris on Saturday

Her birthday the following day was spent doing media interviews before flying back to the UK to continue her training.

"She said she had three hours' sleep," Mr Harper said.

"We met her before she went back to London to train and she was exhausted and I think just overwhelmed with it all. It's still sinking in for her."

Her birthday celebrations have been delayed until after she competes in the 3m springboard next week, Mr Harper said.

"She's going to have a bit of a reset, let it all sink in a bit, and then physically she has to reset too.

"She seems in a good place I think."

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