Maddison Keeney has sprung firmly into diving medal contention, splitting China’s star pair to qualify second for the 3m springboard final.

The Australian got better and better in Thursday’s Olympics semi-final at the Paris Aquatic Centre.

Nailing her final three dives after a slow start, Keeney (334.70 points) was a clear second but still well behind Chinese standout Chen Yiwen (360.85).

Chen’s countrywoman and reigning world champion Chang Yani (320.15) was uncharacteristically off the pace, Italian Chiara Pellacani (324.75) pushing her back to fourth ahead of Friday’s final.

The Chinese duo stormed to the Games’ first gold medal on the morning of day one in the 3m synchronised event, Keeney and Anabelle Smith missing a medal with a botched final dive.

The Chinese pair have hogged the top two spots on the podium of the last three world championships.

But Keeney, fourth at this year’s event in Doha and fifth in her only other Games appearance in 2016, showed enough to suggest that duopoly could be under threat.

A medal would be Keeney’s second, following bronze in the 3m synchronised final in Rio.

Fellow Australian Alysha Koloi was second after her first dive but faded to finish 14th and is second reserve for the final.

There was heartbreak for Mexican medal hope Aranza Vazquez Montano, who scored a zero on her penultimate dive to miss the top-12 by just 30 points.

Vazquez Montano immediately raised her hand when she resurfaced, appealing that she had been distracted before launching off the board.

But her request for a re-dive was waved away by the officials, who argued she should not have gone through with the attempt.

Australian Kurtis Mathews is in the final of the equivalent men’s event later on Thursday.