Platform, Men

Klaus Dibiasi had won this event in 1968 after winning silver in 1964. He was favored but had lost the 1970 Europeans to East German Lothar Matthes. Another contender was Dibiasi’s teammate, Franco Cagnotto, who had earlier won a silver on springboard in München. In the end this was a romp for Dibiasi who led by almost 25 points in qualifying and was never challenged as he won his second gold in the event. He would return in 1976 at Montréal and get the three-peat.

Matthes and Cagnotto fought out the other medals with American Dick Rydze, silver medalist at the 1971 Pan American Games. Cagnotto was leading this threesome until his ninth dive, a 3½ somersault, on which he failed badly, and allowed Rydze to move past him and get the silver. Matthes was just out of the medals in fourth.