YOUNG DIVERS CONTINUE TO SHOW PROMISE
Britain’s young divers competing at their first World
Championships have gained valuable experience from their outings
over the past two days in Montreal which should stand them
in good stead for the Olympics in 2008 and 2012.
Brooke Graddon, who recently turned 18, put in some solid
dives in the Women ’s 10m Platform today to put herself
into the world’s top 18 as well as a place in the semi-final.
Graddon scored 265.26 to see her take the final qualifying
spot for the semi-finals while team mate Tonia Couch, just
16, scored 235.17 to place herself 25th.
The semi-final saw Graddon handle the pressure well and she
showed real moments of skill to give a glimpse of what can
be expected from the diver in the future. She scored a total
of 415.86.
Another first time athlete to the World Championship arena,
Ben Swain, competed in yesterday’s Men’s 3m event
as Britain’s only competitor following Tony Ally’s
withdrawal due to a pulled hamstring.
Swain, 19, impressed with three of his five dives and eventually
finished a rain-soaked preliminaries in 36th out of a field
of close to 50.
The Sheffield teenager will be in action again tomorrow in
the Men’s 1m.
The British Diving World Championship squad comprises:
Claire Blencowe City of Sheffield
Tonia Couch Plymouth Diving
Brooke Graddon Plymouth Diving
Tandi Indergaard City of Leeds
Hayley Sage Beaumont Diving Academy
Louise Van Hoof Luton Kingfishers
Tony Ally City of Sheffield
Mark Shipman City of Sheffield
Ben Swain City of Sheffield
Leon Taylor City of Sheffield
Peter Waterfield Southampton
The 11th FINA World Championships will take place in Montreal,
Canada between 17th and 31st July 2005. The championships
incorporate swimming, diving, open water swimming, synchronised
swimming and water polo.
The diving events take place between 17th and 24th July at
the Parc Jean-Drapeau, an island in the middle of the St Lawrence
River.
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