YOUNG DIVERS SELECTED FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
A squad of seven young divers has been selected to compete
at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) in Sydney
from the 17-21 January 2007.
In the first year that Great Britain has been invited to
the festival, the British Olympic Association (BOA) has announced
a 113-strong team comprising athletes from twelve different
sports. Diving is the only aquatic sport in the multi-discipline
competition, which also includes hockey, rowing and figure
skating.
The seven British divers, aged from 12 -17 years old, will
gain valuable experience from the meet, which is designed
to replicate a major international event.
The most experienced member of the squad is 17-year-old Tonia
Couch, who was within the qualification standard for the 2007
World Championships after winning silver in the 10m Platform
at the British Diving Championships last weekend. The Plymouth
diver gained valuable international experience in 2006 making
the finals in the Commonwealth Games and European Championships.
City of Leeds' Callum Johnstone (16) will be looking to improve
on his Platform silver at the European Junior Championships
in Palma de Mallorca earlier this year and will be a strong
contender in the 10m event.
12-year-old Thomas Daley (Plymouth diving club), is the youngest
member of the team and received special dispensation to dive
against athletes three years his senior. He recently claimed
silver in the senior 10m Platform at the British Diving Championships,
which shows he can hold his own against top level divers.
With team GB facing tough competition from world class diving
nations like China and America, Junior Olympic Programme Manager,
Kim White, believes the young divers can learn a lot from
the meet.
"We are all really pleased to be travelling to Australia
for this competition," said White. "This is the
first year we have been invited and I believe that the performances
of our young divers over the past two years is what earned
us the invitation. They have all dived consistently and some
in major international competitions."
"We are taking a mixed team of experience and youth
but certainly the best juniors we have and they will benefit
greatly from the experience of competing in a multi-sport
event like this."
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