The British Diving Championships – Who Will Win the National Titles in 2018?
The British Championships – What Titles Will Be Decided This Weekend?
The British Championships are always highly competitive and this year’s event will be no exception. Not only will the competitors be fighting for national titles, they’ll also be aware that with the Commonwealth Games just three months away, Team GB’s selectors will be keeping a close eye on proceedings. With gold medals and a trip to Australia’s Gold Coast in April at stake for those participating, spectators will be in for a treat.
The meet gets underway on Friday, when the Men’s and Women’s 1m, Women’s 10m Synchro and Men’s 3m Synchro events take place. Saturday’s morning session will feature the Men’s 3m Prelims and the Women’s Platform Prelims, while the first session of the afternoon is reserved for the finals of those events. The winners of the Men’s 10m Synchro and the Women’s 3m Synchro diving medals will be decided during the last session of the day.
The Women’s 3m and Men’s Platform Prelims will be held on Sunday morning, with the finals of the two events taking place that afternoon.
Which British Divers Will Be Battling for the Medals?
If you’re going to be poolside for this weekend’s meet, you’ll see a host of high-quality divers take to the board. Britain’s best-known diver, Tom Daley, will be in action, hoping to add more medals to his haul.
Daley was unable to compete in the 2017 edition of the meet due to injury. As a result, he’s sure to want to make his mark this year, particularly as the competition is being held in his home town. The 23-year-old has won a host of events during his career, including three World Championship golds, four European Championship golds and two Olympic bronze medals.
Dan Goodfellow, Tom’s bronze medal-winning partner in the 10m Synchro event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, is also expected to be taking part. Dan, a gold medallist at the Junior European Championships in 2013, finished in third place in the Men’s 3m competition in 2017, and could well take another medal home this year.
Tom Daley wasn’t the only British diver missing from Championships at Edinburgh last year. Chris Mears and Jack Laugher, who became the first British divers to win an Olympic title when they triumphed in the men’s 3m springboard synchro event at the Rio 2016 Games, were also unable to compete. Grace Reid, who won a bronze medal in the 3m springboard event at the European Championships at 2016, and partnered Daley in the 3m mixed synchro category to win gold at the same meet and silver at the 2017 World Championships, was absent too. All three are hoping to be in action at the weekend, however, and are sure to be amongst the favourites to claim podium places.
Other divers to watch out for at the Championships include Lois Toulson and Matty Lee, who won the silver medal in the 10m Mixed Synchro event at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships.
Which British divers do you think will claim national titles this weekend? Leave a comment below or tell us on Facebook or Twitter.