PLYMOUTH divers Matthew Dixon and Euan McCabe will both be returning from the European Championships in Belgrade with bronze medals.

Former platform diver Dixon won his first major international springboard medal in Serbia, while McCabe also made the podium on his Great Britain senior debut.

McCabe’s medal came on Friday in the men’s 10m synchro final.

He and his GB partner Ben Cutmore took third behind Austria’s Anton Knoll and Dariush Lofti and Italy’s Francesco Casalini and Julian Verzotto.

The Austrians won with 367.05 points, ahead of the Italian pair, who scored 356.88, and McCabe and Cutmore with 350.70.

The British pair were pleased with their medal, but also knew it could have been a different colour.

“It’s hard as we didn’t spend much time together,” said Cutmore. “If we had had more time together, it could have been a different result.”

Dixon, who trains in London, was also thinking what might have been, despite medalling in the men’s three-metre springboard event on Saturday with 431.15 points.

France’s Gwendal Bisch took the title with 440.75 points and Italy’s Matteo Santoro just beat Dixon to silver by 0.4 of a point, with Santoro scoring 431.55 points.

Dixon had to recover from an error on his third-round dive that dropped him down to ninth, but he responded well and really put the pressure on with an 85.50-point final dive.

Afterwards Dixon admitted he had ‘mixed emotions’, despite making the podium.

“It was a proper dogfight,” he said. “I jumped one dive for 40 points then I fought my way back. I’m really happy to battle my way through and coming off with a bronze medal. I enjoyed these days here, the weather is so hot and I love it.”

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