With a series of clean sweeps, young Southampton divers took Dublin by storm at the Irish National Championships last week. A large team of 19 divers took control, winning across the boards. The team took home a haul of 21 medals against divers from Ireland, the UK and even Italy – a near 50% success rate.
Leading the charge were the boys in the 8 – 11 years age group with near total domination. Scott Palmer was the leader of the pack, becoming Irish National Champion on all three boards. Others hardly got a look in with Southampton boys taking all the medals in the 1m and 3m events, and nearly hitting a hat trick on Platform. Scott was chased by his team mates Brandon Foster who took a Silver (Platform) and Bronze (1m & 3m), with Silvers for Harrison Williams (3m) and Thomas Wrightson (1m).
The Girls Novices section again saw Southampton takes a full haul, with the 12 – 13 girls bringing home a Gold for Rachel Hillier, Silver for Nicole Woodbridge and Bronze for Chloe Smart.
Jordan Gregson showed his mettle, taking two Silvers (Platform and 1m) and a Bronze in the face of strong competition from the north of England. A very strong set of performances resulted in a full set of colours for Madeleine Angell with Gold in the Girls 8-11 3m followed by a Silver on Platform and a Bronze on 1m.
Callum Weldon secured Gold in the Boys Novices event. Other Southampton medallists were Katya Sheath (Silver, Girls 12-13 Platform), Thomas Graham (Bronze, Boys 12-13 Platform), and Miranda Dibden (Bronze, Girls 10-11 Platform).
Head Coach Lindsey Fraser said of the results "This was a great set of performances, but what matters most to me is that we're not only seeing young athletes step up to the mark very successfully, we're also seeing how well they respond when given an opportunity to compete in an international competition and fly the flag for Southampton."
Yet again these youngsters showed that the Southampton diving programme, based at the city's world class diving facility at The Quays and supported by Active Nation, is generating strength in depth and giving divers an opportunity to compete internationally at all levels.
Or Karin Brindley (Press & Publicity Officer) on 023 80779161 or email: karinb01@tiscali.co.uk
Southampton Diving Academy Team
Age 8 - 11 Boys 1 metre: Scott Palmer (Gold), Thomas Wrightson (Silver), Brandon Foster (Bronze)
Age 12 - 13 Girls Novice: Rachel Hillier(Gold), Nicole Woodbridge (Silver), Chloe Smart (Bronze)
Jordan Gregson
Katya Sheath
Madeleine Angell
Miranda Dibden