LONDON — “Sorry, mate,” Peter Waterfield said to Tom Daley after they had hoisted themselves out of the pool on Monday with the home-crowd roars already turning into murmurs.

It was the soundtrack of an Olympic moment turning sour, and the scores that flashed on the electronic scoreboard at Aquatics Center soon provided confirmation.

From first place, Daley and Waterfield had fallen to fourth, and there they remained until the end of the men’s synchronized 10-meter platform diving event.

“It’s the worst place to finish at the Olympics,” Waterfield said. “I’d rather finish last because at least then you know you missed every dive, and not know that we missed one dive and it was only 9 points.”