WAIS diving athlete Maddison Keeney has been officially announced onto the Australian Diving team for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Keeney, who won three titles at last week’s selection trials, adding to her FINA Grand Prix win in Madrid earlier this year is in line to contest the 1m and 3m springboard events, as well as the 3m synchro with London Olympian Anabelle Smith.
Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham will spearhead a 12-strong Australian diving team named this week by the Australian Commonwealth Games Association for the XXth Games in Glasgow, starting on July 23.
The team that aims to regain the title as the Commonwealth’s premier diving nation, contains a mix of experience and youth, with platform specialist Melissa Wu, heading to her third Commonwealth
Games and springboard divers Georgia Sheehan and Anna Gelai making their National senior team debuts.
At 15 Sheehan is the junior member of the team, while 26-year-old Mitcham is the team’s elder statesman.
Joining Mitcham in a three-strong male team will be Delhi springboard bronze medalist, Grant Nell and 19-year-old platform specialist, Domonic Bedggood.
Bedggood will team up with Mitcham in the platform synchro event while Nel and Mitcham will take on the best in the Commonwealth in the springboard synchro.
Platform synchro specialist Emily Boyd and Lara Tarvit will be aiming to improve in Scotland on their fourth placing at last year’s Barcelona World Championships.
Rachel Bugg’s selection is a reward for perseverance. The Adelaide platform diver retired after the London Olympics but decided to return to the pool last year. Bugg is expected to dive with Wu in the platform synchro as well as competing in the individual event.
Chinese-born Esther Qin has been rewarded for several consistent performances on national teams in the past 12 months and is expected to compete in the springboard synchro with Gelai in Glasgow. Qin is also likely to compete in the individual 3-metre event.
Australian team Chef de Mission Steve Moneghetti was on hand at today’s announcement at the Melbourne Sport’s and Aquatic Centre to welcome diving’s dozen onto the Australian team and is excited about the team’s prospects.
“Diving is one of our most successful Commonwealth Games sports. It’s a world sport and when it comes to the Commonwealth Games we have high expectations and they always deliver,” said Moneghetti.
“We are delighted to have someone like Matt Mitcham in this group of 12. Not only is he a world class diver but he’s great to have around the team. Matt’s got an infectious nature and certainly his leadership from his experience point of view will help the younger members of what I think is a really well balanced team.
“They’ll enjoy their experience in Glasgow for sure. It’s a great mixture and while we always think that the Commonwealth Games is more developmental I can tell you those young athletes often perform at the Commonwealth Games and they are often the ones that get in the medals.
“Whilst we say it’s developmental they develop by getting medals and this will be no exception.”
The Australians picked up seven silver and six bronze medals in Delhi with four of those silvers won by Mitcham. They finished second on the medal tally to Canada.
-AusCommGames
