WAIS Divers Compete at Open Championships
WAIS athletes have competed at the recent Australian Open Diving Championships in Brisbane which doubled as selection trials for this year’s World Championships.
Scholarship holders Tamara Irvine, Alex Smedley and Teju Williamson competed in finals in Queensland as the WAIS program headed by coach Shannon Roy continues to build athletes towards the 2020 Olympic Games.
Tamara Irvine contested the women’s 3m springboard and 10m platform events, with Teju Williamson joining Irvine in the later.
The women’s 3m was won by former WAIS athlete Maddison Keeney in a high quality final. Keeney scored 349.35 to edge out fellow Commonwealth Games medallist Esther Qin (338.05), whilst Tamara Irvine was in seventh place (237.55).
Irvine finished ninth in the 10m platform final (244.55) which was won by Olympian Melissa Wu (359.40). Williamson was in 11thplace, scoring 215.40.
Alex Smedley, competing at his first open championships, performed well to make the finals of the men’s 3m springboard and 10m platform. Smedley recorded an eight place finish in the 3m (237.30) which was won by James Connor (460.05), before posting 248.15 for fifth place in the platform final, which was again won by Connor (472.55).
Following the conclusion of the 2015 Australian Open Championships incorporating the Selection Trials for the 16th Fina World Championships, Diving Australia has announced the Australian Diving Team to compete in Kazan, Russia at the World Championships.
The eight strong team includes two athletes who will make their benchmark event debut. Domonic Bedggood has already tasted a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal but will be making his debut at a World Championships. Similarly, Samantha Mills has already experienced Gold at a major multi sport event, at the 2013 World University Games.
Bedggood will be competing in the 10m and 10m synchronised events whilst Mills will compete in the 3m synchronised event with partner Esther Qin. Qin won Commonwealth Gold last year after narrowly missing the World Cup final earlier in the year. Qin will compete in 1m, 3m and 3m synchronised.
Grant Nel and Melissa Wu will be the most experienced athletes in the team having competed in Australian Teams for many years. Wu will compete in 10m and 10m synchronised and Nel will compete in 3m and 3m synchronised.
Wu’s partner will be World Junior Champion Lara Tarvit and Nel will be partnered by James Connor. Connor will be the busiest athlete of the team having been selected to compete in 3m, 10m, 3m synchronised (with Nel) and 10m synchronised (with Bedggood).
Rounding out the team is springboard specialist Maddison Keeney who will compete in 1m and 3m.
Gillian Brooker has been selected by FINA to be a Judge at the World Championships.
Team
Domonic Bedggood – Men’s 10m and 10m synchronised
Esther Qin – Women’s 1m, 3m and 3m synchronised
Grant Nel – Men’s 3m and 3m synchronised
James Connor – Men’s 3m, 10m, 3m synchronised and 10m synchronised
Lara Tarvit – Women’s 10m synchronised
Maddison Keeney – Women’s 1m and 3m
Melissa Wu – Women’s 10m and 10m synchronised
Samantha Mills – Women’s 3m synchronised