Sarah Barrow dives into the record books

Against a stunning Barcelona backdrop, Tonia Couch makes a dive in the ten-metre semi-final. Picture: AP

Barrow finished 11.95 points behind Ukrainian Iuliia Prokopchuk at the Piscine Municipal de Montjuic as she became Britain’s most successful female individual diver at a world championship.

The 24-year-old adds the fourth place to the fifth she and Tonia Couch claimed in the synchro earlier this week, although the pair had been disconsolate after a medal slipped from their grasp.

There were tears from Couch yesterday after she finished ninth despite qualifying second, with Plymouth team-mate Tom Daley, the Olympic bronze medallist, a shoulder to cry on.

The competition was won by 14-year-old Chinese diver Si Yajie, who shocked double Olympic champion Chen Ruolin.

There was a minute’s silence for those killed in the Galicia train crash near Santiago de Compostela, which was impeccably observed before action got under way.

Couch over-rotated on her first dive, her score of 43.20 a little under 30 points what she had earned yesterday, which had given her such a good foundation.

It meant she finished 12th out of 12 and immediately on the back foot, while Barrow was eighth.

The 24-year-old rose to fourth after her second dive and, in the following round, closed to within 0.95 points of Pandelela Rinong Pamg in third.

Despite her best efforts she could not make inroads and ended up with 346.45 points.

National performance director Alexei Evangulov embraced Barrow – as did Daley – and said: “Really happy. We were close – next time we will make a medal. “We can improve. I know we can make it.”

Barrow said: “I’m pretty pleased – better than the other day. I’ve not done the individual for a long time.

“I’m really happy. I didn’t have anything to lose in the final so I just went out there and enjoyed it.”

It contrasted with a forlorn Couch, who finished with 311.00 and said: “I am really gutted with today’s performance.

“I was a little bit too pumped today and my second yesterday put me and my nerves on edge.” Si looked a lot more comfortable teetering in a handstand on the edge of a towering piece of concrete in front of thousands than speaking about her win.

“I feel pretty excited,” she said, later adding that she considered herself an “introvert”. This was the 21-year-old Chen’s eighth career medal at a world championship to go with her four Olympic golds. All have come in either the ten-metre platform individual or synchronised events.