Synchro Silver for WA Pair

WA divers Tamara Irvine and Nikita Hains have picked up silver in the 10m synchro at the FINA Grand Prix in Singapore recently.

The Singapore meet was the pair’s last competitive hit out before the 2016 World Junior Championships in Russia, which start on November 29 and will see the duo dive against the best youth talent on the planet.

In Kazan however, Irvine and Hains will focus instead on the individual 10m, with platform synchro not on the competition schedule.

As a result, the pair also used the opportunity to sharpen their skills for the individual platform in Singapore, with Hains earning bronze and Irvine not far behind in sixth place in the final.

In the 10m synchro, Irvine and Hains fetched 253.38 points to finish second behind Japanese pair Matsuri Arai and Nana Sasaki (276.48). Ukraine combination, Sofiia Lyskun and Valeriia Liulko claimed third with 250.23 points.

In the individual platform, the Japanese divers again underlined their class, taking first and second positions, with Sasaki a clear victor on 318.90 points ahead of compatriot Arai on 294.40. Hains – a finalist for the 2016 WAIS Junior Athlete of the Year – picked up bronze with 261.85 points and led the competition after round two before slipping back in rounds three and four.

Irvine returned a score of 248.40, with her opening round dive the pick of her campaign, returning 62.40 points.

The athletes were joined in Singapore by WAIS coach Mathew Helm, with the trio next off to Russia to tackle their last major international meet for the 2016 season.