Three more golds sees Luton dominate podium at National Age Group Champs

Olivia Wall, Alfie Whytock and Olivia Sykes ensured Luton Diving Club continued to dominate top spot on the podium during day two of the National Age Group Championships.

Following on from Lucy Parker’s triumph in the morning session, Wall, Whytock and Sykes made it a total of four golds for Luton in seven events – and three from four in the afternoon’s competitions – at the Plymouth Life Centre.

Wall saves best until last

Wall’s last dive of the Girls’ A Group 1m Springboard event proved to be her best and landed her the national title.

She went into the eighth round of the contest trailing Dacorum Diving Club’s Chloe Hackett by 3.80 points.

However, Wall earned a score of 48.30 for her back one-and-a-half somersaults in pike to finish on a total of 278.85.

That was 4.25 ahead of Hackett who could only earn 40.25 for her forward two somersaults in pike to end on 274.60 points.

Aberdare Comets Diving Club’s Taryn Ward won a commemorative bronze medal for her total of 253.85.

Plymouth Diving’s Maia Pearson took the national bronze with a score of 250.95, just ahead of her team-mate Ellie Pearce who was fourth on 248.65.

Alfie chases down Daniel

Whytock found himself in second sport heading into the seventh and final round of a pulsating Boys’ Group B 3m contest which saw the lead change hands a number of times.

That was largely down to City of Leeds Diving Club’s Daniel Chase scoring an impressive 54.60 for his back two-and-a-half somersaults in tuck which meant he topped the leaderboard heading into the last dives.

Whytock was five points adrift – despite scoring 49.00 for back one-and-a-half somersaults, two-and-a-half twists in the penultimate round.

However, he followed that up with a score of 48.00 for his forward two-and-a-half somersaults in pike – 8.80 ahead of Chase’s last dive.

It meant Whytock grabbed the gold with a final score of 273.90 with Chase 3.80 adrift on 270.10.

City of Bradford Esprit Diving’s Joseph Verity was the early pacesetter and was in front after three rounds but he had to eventually settle for the bronze medal with a score of 262.70.

Sykes finishes in style

Sykes rounded off her Girls’ Group C 1m Springboard campaign in fine fashion with her highest score of the competition.

She scored 41.80 for her inward one-and-a-half somersaults in tuck to end off 208.95 points.

It left her 7.75 points ahead of her nearest rival for the top spot, City of Leeds Diving Club’s Kate Gardner who claimed silver on 201.20.

Gardner had pushed Sykes for the gold, scoring 45.60 for the same dive but it was just shy of what she required to win the title.

Southend Diving’s Alice Billton was third with a total of 194.85.

Hernan holds on

Albatross Diving Club’s Hernan Mosqueda-Jolly was crowned national champion in the Boys’ Group A 3m Springboard – but almost had the gold taken from his grasp in the final round.

After picking up a silver in the Boys’ Group A/B 3m Synchro, Mosqueda-Jolly went one better with a slender 0.15 point winning margin.

He scored only 28.00 in the eighth and final round for his back two-and-a-half somersaults in tuck.

However, it proved to be just enough as the advantage he had built up in the previous rounds was enough to hold off  a late challenge from Southampton Diving Academy’s Kai Lanham.

He had scored 51.30 and 46.20 for his final two dives to finish on 289.30, which left him agonisingly short of Mosqueda-Jolly’s total of 289.45.

Lanham’s Southampton team-mate Isaac Beard was third with a score of 271.40.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh Diving Club’s Ross Tynan won a commemorative gold medal having been the only diver to break the 300-point barrier with a total of 342.10.

Pictures: Morgan Harlow