TAYLOR AND WATERFIELD SET TO DIVE IN ROME
Great Britain's diving elite are targeting honours at the
Rome Grand Prix when they compete in Italy between June 3-5.
National Performance Director Steve Foley has assembled a
10-strong squad of divers for this year's competition, all
of whom are looking to impress before next month's World Championships
in Montreal, Canada.
"It's a very important competition for all our divers,
especially with the World Championships just around the corner,"
revealed Foley.
"I'm looking for some of the younger divers to step up
to the plate and show me what they can do. It will be a good
test for them."
And Foley is not just interested in his young divers, he is
also relishing the prospect of "hopefully" seeing
experienced pairing Leon Taylor and Peter Waterfield, the
Olympic silver medallists, compete together for the first
time in nearly 10 months.
Injury has plagued both divers, Sheffield's Taylor (shoulder)
and Southampton's Waterfield (back), hampering their preparations
for the World Championships.
But the duo will be the star attractions in Italy, and Taylor
for one is looking forward to teaming up with his synchro
partner in the ten-metre platform competition.
"It's been a long time since we've dived together,"
said Taylor, who spent over three months on the sidelines
this season after an unfortunate car accident.
However, in true fighting fashion, as he often does, the South
Yorkshire ace proved he has not lost any of his medal-winning
qualities with a gold medal at the US Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale
last month.
Having been denied the chance to dive with Waterfield, who
withdrew from the ten-metre synchro competition because of
a back injury, Taylor shone in the ten-metre individual final
to give himself a welcome confidence-booster after such a
long absence.
"It would have been good to have dived with Peter in
America, but at least I got a good hit out in the individual
competition. I was very pleased with my performance.
"It's been very frustrating when you can't dive because
of injuries, but we've had to look at the bigger picture and
make sure we are fit for the World Championships."
Notable absentees from the British team are Sheffield duo
Tony Ally and Mark Shipman, specialists of the three-metre
springboard individual and synchro disciplines, while fellow
Olympian Tandi Indergaard is also missing.
But the trio's absence has left the door wide open for some
of Great Britain's emerging divers to shine.
Claire Blencowe and Ben Swain, from Sheffield, have been handed
the chance to impress on the international circuit, as have
Plymouth's Tonia Couch and Gareth Hunt.
City of Leeds divers Rebecca Galantree and Emma Teather have
also been selected, with Crystal Palace diver Blake Aldridge
and Beaumont DI's Hayley Sage picked as well.
Couch and Blencowe will compete in the ten-metre synchro,
while Swain and Aldridge will pair up and compete individually
in the three-metre springboard events.
Meanwhile, Jones and Waterfield will be Britain's representatives
in the ten-metre individual competition, with Taylor having
decided to concentrate solely on the synchro event.
Sage, Galantree and Teather will all dive in the three-metre
springboard competition, with two of them also competing in
the synchro section.
"It's a good chance to have a look at a lot of different
combinations," added Foley, who is also looking ahead
to British Nationals Championships - which double up as the
World Champs qualifiers - between June 17-19.
"All of the young divers deserve an international meet.
It's a good chance to prove themselves against the world's
best divers."
The Great Britain team is (as follows):
Leon Taylor, Claire Blencowe, Ben Swain (Sheffield); Tonia
Couch, Gareth Jones (Plymouth); Rebecca Galantree, Emma Teather
(Leeds); Hayley Sage (Beaumont DI); Blake Aldridge (Crystal
Palace); Peter Waterfield (Southampton). Team Manager: Martyn
Brown. National Performance Director: Steve Foley.
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