GB squad blends youth and experience as seven to make World Championships bow

Seven divers are set to make their FINA World Championships bow as a British squad which blends youth and experience heads to Hungary.

Debutants Desharne Bent-Ashmeil, Anthony Harding, Yasmin Harper, Jordan Houlden, Emily Martin, Amy Rollinson and European medallist Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix will all come up against the best in the world at the Duna Arena, Budapest, from 26 June to 3 July.

Olympic champions Jack Laugher and Matty Lee plus World Championships veterans Robyn Birch, Grace Reid and James Heatly are also among the 14-strong British team.

The squad is completed by Olympians Eden Cheng and Noah Williams, who were among the gold medallists at the recent British Diving Championships.

Tim Jones, British Swimming associate performance director, said: “The standard of diving at the recent British Championships was outstanding and we are excited to have been able to select this team off the back of that to lead us into a first World Championships in three years.

Perform when it mattered

“Some of our most established divers on the international stage showed their quality in Sheffield, with Jack Laugher winning a hat-trick of British titles – while it was also great to see some younger divers perform when it mattered. 

“That blend of experience and youth will come together in Budapest and we will be looking for the divers to show how their preparations can come together on the big stage, in the arena.”

The 2022 World Championships is the benchmark diving competition in a packed year of aquatics events, a year on from a record-equalling three-medal haul for Britain’s divers at the Olympic Games. 

They also won three medals – one silver and two bronzes – in the last World Championships at Gwangju 2019.

Individual events will take place across the Men’s and Women’s 1m Springboard, 3m Springboard and 10m Platform, with synchronised events from the 3m Springboard and 10m Platform, as well as the team event.