Olympic divers shower after each dive for a very particular reason
Almost every day of the 2024 Paris Olympics will feature athletes diving into pools in their quest for gold.
With the Olympics itself kicking off on Friday, 26 July and lasting until Sunday, 11 August, millions will tune in across the two and a half weeks to watch more than 10,000 competitors face off across 32 sporting disciplines.
Some events only last for a few days, such as the brand new breakdancing category.
Others go on for the whole time, with diving firmly in that category.
Starting on Saturday, 27 July, it wont end until Saturday, August 10, with 136 competitors taking to the boards across eight difference events.
Last time around Team GB's Tom Daley finally won the prize that he had been working towards his entire career after landing his first ever gold medal, with the now 30-year-old reduced to tears after finally getting his hands on the top accolade.
Why do divers shower off after each dive? (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
As millions in the UK watched on hoping and praying they would do it, after every dive Daley and his diving partner Matty Lee could be seen taking to the showers.
And it was something every competitor would do after every dive.
A bit weird, really, when you consider they are already wet from plunging in to the pool in the first place.
But it's not weird when you know why. And there is reason behind the seemingly pointless task.
It all comes down to injury and rather, preventing it from happening mid competition.
Given that divers only perform a select number of times over what can be hours, there is the risk that they could pull up from the sudden jarring of their body in to some pretty incredible moves.
By showering under hot water, what divers are doing is helping to keep their muscles relaxed and loose between every dive that takes place.
By doing this you're putting off the risk of getting cramp or even pulling a muscle the next time you're on the board.
And on top of this, you're also getting the chance to wash off the chlorine from the pool water which can be an irritant on your skin and in your eyes - and ultimately another distraction when competing.
You might also see some divers, especially those who have been recovering from injury, take a plunge in to a hot tub during the time after a dive.
The science here is pretty similar in that it'll keep those muscles right across the body nice and relaxed ahead of the next dive that they'll hope will bring them home a gold medal.
