Courtesy: British Swimming
Twenty-five divers are ready to take to the springboards and platforms of Japan and Poland this summer after British Diving confirmed our teams for the upcoming double-header of World Championships and European Games.
Across a summer that will see the crucial first Olympic quota spots up for grabs, on top of world and European titles and valuable top-level competition experience, a world-class cohort of 11 athletes has been selected for the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, with the diving programme taking place from 14th-22nd July at the Fukuoka Prefectural Pool.
Eight of the 11 won either a European or Commonwealth crown in 2022, including Olympic champions Jack Laugher and Matty Lee, while Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, Lois Toulson, Noah Williams, Anthony Harding and Dan Goodfellow – all who stood on international podiums last summer – are also gearing up for another Worlds outing.
Kyle Kothari, meanwhile, is set for his maiden World Championship appearance after an outstanding victory in the Men’s 10m Platform at the British Diving Championships last week, with Yasmin Harper and Jordan Houlden rewarded for superb national displays – including a hat-trick of springboard golds for Harper – by securing a place on the plane to Japan.
The unprecedented current strength in depth of British Diving means that the 14-person team heading to Rzeszow, Poland to represent Team GB in the third European Games has an eye-opening level of quality and experience too.
Two-time Olympian Grace Reid and World Championship medallist James Heatly are among that group, as well as a clutch of young talents making their mark on the international stage, including Desharne Bent-Ashmeil and Amy Rollinson – who featured at all three senior majors in 2022 – and World Junior medallists Maisie Bond and Robbie Lee. There is also a welcome return to the international fold for Ross Haslam, who has overcome several injury setbacks in recent years with remarkable commitment and drive.
Last year’s World Championships in Budapest were British Diving’s most successful in history, thanks to a haul of six medals – three of them from record-breaker Jack Laugher, with one alongside synchro partner Anthony Harding.
This time around, the British team will be targeting more success against the world’s best, while also aiming to lock down quota spots for Paris 2024 across the Olympic events of the men’s and women’s individual 3m springboard and 10m platform, as well as the men’s and women’s synchro contests in both. There are also quota spots up for grabs to the winner of each individual Olympic event at the European Games.
Speaking about the selections for another packed summer of diving action, British Swimming Associate Performance Director Tim Jones said: “It is truly testament to the standard of diving in this country that we are able to select two entirely different teams for two hugely important international competitions, and both contain such a blend of experience, up-and-coming talent and dedication, both in and out of the water.
“There were some exceptional performances at our recent British Diving Championships in Sheffield, like Yasmin Harper‘s trio of successes from the springboard, the familiar sight of a top-level battle in the Men’s 3m Springboard final, the consistency of Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix across her 10 dives in the Women’s 10m Platform event and then the drama of a strong men’s platform finale to round it out on Sunday.
“Those levels of performance are illustrated in the quality of our teams, in whom we have confidence that we are set for another summer competing at the very top of the sport. The importance of qualifying as many Olympic quota spots as possible this year cannot be overstated, and we know our athletes and staff will do everything they can – and always do – in the intervening weeks to ensure they are in the best position to do that come competition time. The medals and other accolades will follow as a result of that work and focus.”
Ahead of his maiden World Championship appearance, platform specialist Kyle Kothari added: “This will be my first World Championships and it definitely feels a bit overdue with all the setbacks over the years, so I was super relieved when I guaranteed my spot at Nationals and I can’t wait to try to qualify a spot for Team GB for Paris next year.”
The British Diving team for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan:
- Daniel Goodfellow, British Diving Performance Centre, Leeds
- Anthony Harding, British Diving Performance Centre, Leeds
- Yasmin Harper, City of Sheffield Diving Club
- Jordan Houlden, City of Sheffield Diving Club
- Kyle Kothari, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Jack Laugher, British Diving Performance Centre, Leeds
- Matty Lee, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Scarlett Mew Jensen, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Lois Toulson, British Diving Performance Centre, Leeds
- Noah Williams, British Diving Performance Centre, London
The British Diving team competing for Team GB at the 2023 European Games in Rzeszow, Poland:
- Desharne Bent-Ashmeil, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Robyn Birch, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Maisie Bond, City of Sheffield Diving Club
- Eden Cheng, Crystal Palace Diving Club
- Ben Cutmore, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Matthew Dixon, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Ross Haslam, City of Sheffield Diving Club
- James Heatly, Edinburgh Diving Club
- Juliette John, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Robbie Lee, Southampton Diving Academy
- Noah Penman, Aberdeen Diving Club
- Holly May Prasanto, City of Sheffield Diving Club
- Grace Reid, British Diving Performance Centre, London
- Amy Rollinson, British Diving Performance Centre, London