‘Fantastic opportunity’ for pathway divers to test themselves against world’s best

Divers on the Swim England pathway have a ‘fantastic opportunity’ to test themselves against the world’s best at the inaugural Futures Cup.

Athletes representing Great Britain, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, USA and Jamaica are competing in the event at the Plymouth Life Centre on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May.

It is the first time the Futures Cup has been held and has been introduced to the diving calendar following the withdrawal of British, US and Canadian teams from December’s World Junior Diving Championships and the cancellation of the FINA Diving World Series and Grand Prix competitions throughout 2022.

There are junior and senior events and the contest will also provide much-needed experience for youngsters who have missed out in the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

England’s team is made up of seniors Ben Cutmore, Josie Zillig, Kyle Kothari and Robyn Birch, who all represent Dive London.

The juniors in the squad are Callie Eaglestone (City of Leeds), Chloe Johnson (City of Leeds), Elizabeth Powley (City of Leeds), Grace Ally (City of Sheffield), Jorden Fisher Eames (Luton Diving), Maxwell Spencer (Dive London) and Maya Kutty (Southampton Diving).

Also taking part in the event are Olympic gold medallist Matty Lee plus fellow Tokyo 2020 divers Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, Eden Cheng, Noah Williams, James Heatly, Grace Reid Yona Knight-Wisdom.

Experience the next level

Suzie Collins, Swim England talent development officer for diving, said: “The Futures Cup is such a fantastic opportunity for our England divers, especially the juniors who have had limited competition exposure in recent years.

“An international level event hosted for both juniors and seniors really gives our pathway divers an opportunity to experience the next level and stand on the boards next to world class athletes.”

Julian Bellan, British Diving performance pathway lead, added: “”The first Futures Cup is something we have been working on for a little while after seeing some big competition opportunities lost for both our junior and senior divers over recent months. 

“This will be a fantastic event to provide that high level of international competition mid-season, with so many big events to follow before the summer is out. 

“As well as seeing some of our established divers in action, it will be a valuable two days for the next generation of British Diving stars.”

A limited number of tickets are available over the weekend and can be purchased here.

The event will also be live streamed on British Swimming’s YouTube page. 

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