Junior development squad take on nation's best at Aquatics GB Winter Cup

Young divers from Swim England Diving’s Junior Development squad will be a part of a star-studded field at the Aquatics GB Diving Winter Cup this weekend.

Ponds Forge International Sports Centre will host the opening fixture of the British calendar as a host of rising stars take on the nation’s Paris 2024 heroes to compete for national titles.

The meet will see competitions across both springboard and platform events with selections for the European Championships and World Aquatics World Cup events up for grabs.

Multiple divers from Swim England’s Junior Development squad will be at the competition as they gain more experience against Olympic level quality in South Yorkshire.

Divers such as Maisie Bond and Robbie Wood will be amongst that group that will be looking to push their more senior opposition in Sheffield.

Bond played a part in both of Great Britain’s medals at the World Junior Diving Championships in December, whilst Wood is coming off the back of a breakout year that saw him named the Swim England Diving Talent Athlete of the Year for 2024.

They’ll be looking to make it a strong start to 2025 when they take on their respective Platform event. Wood is also set to compete in the Men’s 3m Springboard alongside fellow Junior Development squad members Sebastien Wilcox, Oscar Willcox, Connor Lano, Simeon Greig and Todd Geggus.

Britain’s best back in action

Following a historic 2024, Britain’s best divers will also be back on home turf this weekend.

Their memorable year in 2024 saw the British team achieve record medal hauls at both the Olympic Games and world championships, as well as a medal-table-topping European Championships team.

Seven of Team GB’s heroes from Paris 2024 will be heading to South Yorkshire this weekend, including four medallists in Anthony Harding, Jack Laugher, Yasmin Harper and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix.

They’ll be returning to competition for the first time since the Games as they build their way back into top form ahead of both world and European competitions later in the season.

The action gets underway on Friday 31 January with the Women’s 1m Springboard and Men’s 3m Springboard events, which features City of Sheffield’s Olympic duo of Harper and Jordan Houlden.

To watch them and all the action from Ponds Forge, you can tune in via the Aquatics GB YouTube channel with events getting underway from 10am each morning. There’s also a live results link available through Dive Recorder.