WAIS diving athlete Maddison Keeney has become the first athlete from the fledgling program to earn selection for a senior World Championships after securing victory in the 3m synchro event at National Championships.
Competing in Brisbane with Queensland partner Sherilyse Gowlett, the diminutive duo posted a fine series of dives to not only claim the Australian title but secure a score high enough for world championship selection at this year’s event in Barcelona (July 19 – August 4).
That Keeney’s name is included on the world championship squad, is made all the more incredible after an earlier slip in the women’s 1m springboard, had cost the Perth teenager automatic selection when she had been leading competition that including Olympians Brittany Broben and Jaele Patrick.
Keeney – who trains under WAIS head diving coach Iris Deng at Perth’s Challenge Stadium – was forced to put the disappointment behind her to prepare for the 3m synchro which was held just four hours following the 1m springboard event.
“I just tried to forget about this morning, I just tried to move on,” a relieved Keeney said.
“I knew I couldn’t go back and change anything, so I just had to do my best in synchro so I could get the result I wanted, and I did.
“It was really hard to just accept the fact that I’d fallen off. It doesn’t happen very often on that dive. I’ve been pretty consistent with it.”
But Keeney showed maturity well beyond her years when later that day she and partner Gowlett stormed to victory, regardless of the fact they are unable to train together due to living on opposite ends of the country.
“We don’t train together, we don’t practice together, so I’m really happy with that performance,” she said.
Despite the incident packed ending to the 1m springboard final, Diving Australia has confirmed that an athlete from the current selected squad would take the individual 1m springboard role at World Championships. Keeney naturally, hopes she gets that chance.
“I really hope so because I’ve been working really hard on nailing those high degree of difficulty dives, because I know that no-one else in the world will do them. So I hope that’s enough,” she reasoned.
– with Diving Australia
