Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith have been left shattered after missing out on winning Australia’s first medal of the Paris Olympics following a calamitous final dive in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard event.

The normally trusty double act were set to win at least bronze and were challenging for silver as they approached their fifth and final dive at the Paris Aquatics Centre on the opening day of the Games on Saturday.

But the experienced pair, who have been regular podium placers at major championships down the years, made a hash of their last difficult dive - a two-and-a-half somersaults with one twist in pike - to slip out of the medals and into fifth place.

The pair were left crestfallen as their slip enabled US pair Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook (314.64 points) to take the silver and the British duo of Yasmin Harper and Scarlet Mew Jensen (302.28) to grab the bronze behind the dominant Chinese winners, Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen (337.68).

Smith and Keeney, who won the bronze medal in Rio eight years ago and were silver medallists behind the Chinese pair in the Doha world championships, had to settle for fifth on 292.20 points behind the Italian duo of Elena Bertocchi and Chiara Pellacini (293.52).