PLYMOUTH’S Tonia Couch won her first European Championship individual medal by claiming silver in the women’s 10m platform final on Friday night.

Couch scored an impressive 352.70 points but was beaten by Ukraine’s Iuliia Prokopchuck, who finished with a staggering 385.90 points to claim her fifth European title.

Georgia Ward, of Great Britain, was third with 325.05 points.

Couch had qualified first in the morning’s prelims with 345.20.

She made a slow start in the final and was ninth after the opening round with a disappointing score of 61.50. But she produced a stunning second effort to score 86.40 and move in to second, which is where she remained.

Afterwards Couch said: “Europeans aren’t normally on my side to be honest so I had to focus on myself and not concentrate on what anyone else was doing. I did okay; I scored pretty high today. It’s not my best but I’m still really pleased.

“My first dive was awful, in fact, so I had to sit down, listen to some music and tell myself off really. But then I did an armstand for straight nines which I’ve never done before so I was really pleased and that put me back in the running to fight for that medal.

“The game isn’t over until the fat lady sings. I dropped two dives today but I was still up there in the running so I just had to focus on what I can normally do and show myself that I am a competitor.”