Andrea hails ‘amazing’ end to junior diving career as she wins world title

Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix brought the curtain down on her junior career in ‘amazing’ style as she claimed a world championships gold to cap a remarkable year.

The 18-year-old topped the rankings in the Women’s Platform (16-18) at the eight-day FINA World Junior Diving Championships in Montreal, Canada.

It was her first – and last – appearance at a junior world championships and completed a very successful 2022 which has also seen her crowned Commonwealth and European champion in the senior ranks.

She showed her consistency throughout the competition, scoring 70 plus points in her four dives to finish with a total of 460.15

Spendolini-Sirieix had qualified for the final in fifth place and had admitted that her preliminary round was ‘horrible’.

“I lacked energy, so my dives didn’t execute as I wanted them to,” she said.

“But in the final, I was pumped and ready. I wanted it, so I went for it.

“I’m really happy with the way I dove. It’s great. It’s my first and my last junior worlds. In fact, it’s my last junior competition, so to finish it on that is amazing.”

Five individual medals

In the same event, Chloe Johnson took fifth spot with a total of 398.30 and was only 5.45 points adrift of the final podium place.

Spendolini-Sirieix’s gold was one of five individual medals won by the British team in Canada.

Fifteen-year-old Maisie Bond finished second in the Women’s Platform (14-15) after and impressive final round five catapulted her on to the podium.

She finished with a total of 318.60 to win the silver after picking up her highest score of 67.20  for her reverse two-and-a-half somersaults in tuck.

Jordan Fisher-Eames and Robbie Lee also won platform medals in the men’s competition.

Fisher-Eames snatched silver with his last dive in the 14-15 event.

He earned 76.80 points for his back two-and-a-half somersaults, one-and-a-half twists which ensured he ended with a score of 442.90.

After qualifying 10th for the 16-18 final, Lee will have been delighted to have taken a bronze medal home.

Brown bags bronze

His back three-and-a-half somersaults in tuck was the most impressive dive of his set and saw him receive a score of 79.20 in round four.

Lee finished with a total of 509.10 to seal his podium place.

His compatriot Euan McCabe was 11th with a score of 432.70

In the springboard competition, Tilly Brown won a bronze in the Women’s 1m (16-18) event.

The 17-year-old held her nerve to score 57.60 with her final dive – a reverse one-and-a-half somersaults in pike – to secure third spot on 388.10 points.

Oscar Kane took part in both the Men’s 1m and 3m Springboard (14-15) event, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

In the 1m competition, 14-year-old Kane was only 2.60 points adrift of the bronze medallist having scored 400.30, while he picked up 406.65 in the 3m final.

Todd Geggus finished ninth in the 1m competition on 356.30.

Team and synchro success

In the Men’s 16-18 category, Danny Mabbot was 10th in the 1m Springboard on 388.75, while Leon Baker finished 12th with a total of 377.50.

Baker also took part in the 3m competition and was eighth overall with a score of 501.45.

Desharne Bent-Ashmeil was sixth in the Women’s 3m Springboard (16-18) with a total of 382.60. 

Britain also enjoyed medal success in the team and synchro competitions.

Lee and McCabe were silver medallists in the Men’s 10m Synchro, missing out on the top spot by 3.24 points after finishing on 298.74.

There was also a silver for Bent-Ashmeil and Amy Rollinson in the Women’s 3m Synchro.

The duo competed together in the Commonwealth Games and finished in fourth spot but deservedly earned a podium place in this event with a final score of 270.30 – only 2.67 behind the gold medallists from the host nation.

The team event saw the trio of Spendolini-Siriex, Lee and Kane take bronze on 352.55, while Baker and Hugo Thomas also finished third in the Men’s 3m Synchro final on 289.77.

Main picture: Fina / Antoine Saito