Korean diver Yi Jae-gyeong falls short in springboard semifinals

Fellow Korean diver Woo Ha-ram ended the semifinals in ninth, securing him a spot in the 12-man final.

Korea's Yi Jae-gyeong is in action during the men's 3-meter springboard final at the Paris Olympics Wednesday in Saint-Denis, France. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Korea's Yi Jae-gyeong failed to qualify for the men's 3-meter springboard final after placing 17th in the semifinals Wednesday in Saint-Denis, France.

Fellow Korean diver Woo Ha-ram ended the semifinals in ninth, securing him a spot in the 12-man final.

Yi came second to last in the pool of 18, scoring 366.50 points over six dives. He started strong, scoring 68.20 points in the first round but saw his form decline over the next three, performing his worst in the fourth round with 47.25 points.

Yi pulled off higher scores in the final two rounds, but it wasn't enough to make up for lost ground.

Woo had two particularly high-scoring dives, with a 79.80 in round three and 78.75 in round four. Woo, who is competing at his third straight Games, will have a shot at the podium in Thursday's final.

Korea's Kim Su-ji was set to compete in the women's 3-meter springboard preliminaries later Wednesday as of press time.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]