Original Story: Steve Butler, The West Australian

Teju Williamson and Melissa Wu of Australia compete in the women's synchronised diving.Picture: Getty Images

Pint-sized Perth diver Teju Williamson will take the buzz of a shock Commonwealth Games appearance and try to turn it into a medal performance in tonight’s women’s 10-metre platform event.

Williamson heeded an SOS call to partner Australian star Melissa Wu in last night’s women’s synchronised 10m platform and looked to have claimed a surprise medal until the last round of five dives when they were pushed into fourth place by just 0.36 of a point.

They were even only five points shy of the silver medal, but were no match for Malaysia’s Olympic silver medallists Jun Hoong Cheong and Pandelela Rinong Pamg, who stormed away to the gold.

Williamson had replaced Wu’s regular platform partner Taneka Kovchenko, who was forced to retire after doctors warned her of a neck and vertebrae condition which could have worsened markedly if she had a bad dive.

“We definitely have to be happy with how we came away today, it was such a great crowd and I really enjoyed the experience,” Williamson said after having only two 10m practice sessions with Wu.

“I was a bit nervous because obviously I had some big shoes to fill with Tameka, who is really amazing. But I had to take the opportunity, I couldn’t let it go to waste and it’s made me really excited to bring all my effort tomorrow and see how it goes.”

Indian-born Williamson is also plays classical violin. Wu, competing in her fourth Games, was youngest member of the Australian team when she competed at the event in Melbourne in 2006.

Wu predicted Williamson, a 19-year-old pocket rocket at 151cm, to have a big diving future.

“She’s awesome so far.” Wu said. “I can’t believe with a couple of days’ notice, she’s up there and giving it everything. To have Teju alongside me tonight and to be able to compete meant a lot to me and we had a blast out there.”

Earlier in the night, dual Australian Olympian James Connor had put himself in the gold medal position with his final dive of the night.

But English diver Jack Laugher, the Olympic synchronised three-metre springboard champion in Rio and already a dual Games gold medallist from Glasgow in 2014, held his nerve with the last dive of the competition to claim the event.