South Korean diver Kim Su-ji thinks winning medals in her sport comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes.

And it was some costly miscues that cost Kim and her partner, Yi Jae-gyeong, a shot at a monumental world championships medal for South Korea on Saturday.

Kim and Yi finished fourth in the mixed 3-meter synchronized diving event at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. They scored 281.46 points, ending 12.66 points back of the bronze medalists from Italy, Chiara Pellacani and Matteo Santoro.

The South Koreans were only 4.56 points back of the Italians with one attempt left, but they failed to coordinate the timing of their entry in their last dive. Kim and Yi earned 58.50 points, only the eighth-best in the field of 16 teams in the final.

The fourth-place finish was still South Korea's best ever in a synchronized diving event at the world championships, but Kim, 25, thinks the best is yet to come for her team.

"In diving, there are precious few opportunities. It's about who makes the fewest mistakes, and not who performs the best," Kim said at Fukuoka Prefectural Pool. "I think we have made some progress in that area and I think we can do even better in the next competition."

Kim and Yi, 23, teamed up to finish sixth at last year's world championships, though Yi recalled that they also could have done better then.

"I think we were able to move up from sixth to fourth this time because we were able to cut down on mistakes," Yi said. "I think we will have a shot at winning a medal if we go mistake-free."

Kim remains the only South Korean diver to have won a world championship medal, thanks to her bronze in the women's 1m springboard at the 2019 event.

She has been battling assorted injuries since, and also hurt her lower back just before this year's championship.

Kim said she wasn't going to use her less-than-ideal health as an excuse.

"Despite my back problems, I really gave my best out there," she said. "I don't think I could've done any better even if my back hadn't been hurting."

She said she had to take some painkillers before her individual events earlier in the competition, though once she stood above the water, her adrenaline kicked in and her pain subsided for the most part.

Yi said he had complete faith in Kim, regardless of her wonky back.

"Whenever I get into these synchronized events, I just try to hold up my end of the bargain because I am confident my partner is going to be great no matter what," Yi said. "After I made a mistake in our fourth dive, I tried to make up for it and get us an extra half point at least."

Things ultimately didn't go their way, but Kim and Yi will have little time to wallow in self-pity. They will now start gearing up for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September.

For this year and beyond, their focus will continue to be about minimizing mistakes.

"In diving, anyone can make mistakes, even the best of the best," Yi said. "I just have to keep working and working."

Kim said her primary short-term goal is to get healthier.

"I will then focus on preparing for the Asian Games," Kim added. "And then there will be national team trials for the Olympics next year. It will be a series of important events, and I can't afford to relax."

Source: Yonhap News Agency