WAIS diving athlete Maddison Keeney competed overnight at the Junior World Diving Championships in Tucson, Arizona.
The 14 year-old Karrinyup resident claimed 12th position in the final of the 3m springboard competition – representing Australia at international level for the first time.
Keeney was joined in the Junior Australian team camp by WAIS head diving coach Iris Deng, who has been overseeing the athlete’s development for the past 18 months in Perth.
The competition in Arizona marked something of a milestone for the fledgling WAIS program – operating in just its second year. Keeney became the first athlete from the program to earn selection for a national team and subsequently the first athlete to compete in international competition.
Keeney performed well in qualifying, securing her passage through to the final of the 3m springboard in sixth position (out of a 33 competitor field). Her tally of 369.40 placed her behind divers from the China, Japan, USA and Australia.
The final was won by American athlete Kassidy Cook, who produced a fantastic performance in accumulating 437.30 points to win gold ahead of China’s Lou Ying (422.30) and Japan’s Yuka Mabuchi (401.00). Keeney tallied 321.80.
