WATERFIELD WINS SILVER IN ROME
Olympic silver medallist Peter Waterfield hit form after
injury to win a silver medal at the Rome Diving Grand Prix,
in Italy, today (Saturday).
The Athens hero, from Southampton, won the preliminaries of
the ten-metre platform competition, but was pipped to first
place on the podium by Russian diver Gleb Galperin, while
Cuban Jose Guerra won bronze.
Victory for Waterfield comes just at the right time with the
World Championships in Montreal, Canada, just around the corner
next month.
"Peter dived really well," said Steve Foley, Great
Britain's National Diving Performance Director. "It's
a big boost ahead of the World Championships."
Waterfield started in fine fashion, stringing together a series
of top dives to win the preliminary stages and left Guerra
and Galperin in the cold.
But despite diving well in the final alongside Guerra, it
was Galperin who quietly picked up the points he needed to
edge both divers to the gold medal.
"It was a great final, but the Russian seemed to come
out of nowhere to win," added Foley.
"To win a silver is a good achievement for Peter, especially
because he's been injured for most of this season."
And there was more good news for the British team as Foley
revealed that Leon Taylor, the national side's other Olympic
silver medallist, is likely to dive in the ten-metre platform
synchro final alongside Waterfield, tomorrow (Sunday).
Sheffield's Taylor, a gold-medal winner at the US Grand Prix
in the Fort Lauderdale last month, suffered a neck injury
in training in Rome.
But Foley said: "The diagnosis is quite good. Leon should
dive tomorrow.
"We know from experience that a wounded Leon is dangerous.
The last time he was injured and came back he won a medal."
If the synchro pair do dive together it will be the first
time they have teamed up for ten months, the last time being
in Greece last year when they tasted their memorable medal
success.
Meanwhile, Hayley Sage and Emma Teather both produced credible
performances in the three-metre springboard competition, Sage
progressing to the semi-finals.
Teather, from the City of Leeds, placed 18th out of a field
of 28, while Sage finished 11th overall.
"Hayley and Emma both dived well, particularly Hayley,"
said Foley.
"We've been looking for another diver to do well in the
three-metre competition ever since Jane Smith has retired,
so it's pleasing to see Hayley and Emma pushing themselves."
Sunday's action will see a whole host of synchronised finals,
with Taylor and Waterfield the main attractions in the ten-metre
platform competition.
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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