British Diving Looking for Fresh Faces to Step Forward

LONDON, May 25. THE next generation of British Olympic divers is being urged to take strides toward that goal when the best talent in the country gathers for the ASA National Championships this weekend. Steve Foley, National Performance Director, will be closely monitoring performances of younger divers as he challenges them to fill voids left by recent retirements and to seize opportunities presented by injuries to other athletes. The three-day meet at the Manchester Aquatics Centre also offers divers the chance to define their season with qualification to this year's major events at stake.

"There will be a lot of pressure on the divers in Manchester," said Foley. "They will be looking to qualify for the World Cup, the pinnacle of our season, as well as the European Championships. "And it won't be enough to just qualify. Those who achieve a qualifying score will also have to convince me they're worth taking to these international events. I'll be looking to see whether they've got what it takes to challenge for medals and make a final. We need to be looking at top eight places at the World Cup and I don't think our divers are hungry enough for that at the moment. Some of them haven't shown what they're capable of yet this year but this weekend will give them an ideal opportunity to change that."

British Diving has a busy summer ahead with the World Cup in China, Europeans in Hungary and European Juniors in Mallorca all taking place in July. Add to these the World Junior Championships in Malaysia come August and athletes will have a lot to dive for this weekend in addition to national honors.

"The World Cup is our main focus as all the leading nations, such as China, Canada, Australia and the U.S., will be there. It will be as tough as the World Championships and will demand a lot from our divers," said Foley. "For those who don't make the cut they will still have the opportunity to qualify for the European Championships. This provides another chance to gain international experience for those divers coming through."

Foley will be expecting better results from those athletes who were selected to compete at this month's FINA Grand Prix events in Canada and the U.S. where performances disappointed the NPD.

"British Diving is in the middle of a transition at the moment," said Foley. "The youngsters coming through the system are improving the difficulty of their dives but with that comes inconsistency as they get to grips with their new routines. We're also struggling with injuries. Olympic and World medalist Leon Taylor will be the most notable absentee in Manchester but we've got divers such as Tandi Gerrard (Leeds) and Claire Blencowe (Sheffield) who are carrying problems and Nicholas Robinson-Baker (Bagiu, London) has just undergone surgery to a shoulder.

"Recent outings have seen some real class dives from our athletes but then they make a mistake on their next round. It's not good enough and won't give them a score needed to step up a level. They now have a chance to put this right and I expect improvements and a consistent level of performance. Achieving these is a starting point but we need to carry that level of performance to the international arena."

Britain's other Olympic and world medalist, Peter Waterfield (Southampton), will be looking to show the kind of form that saw him win a silver off the tower at the U.S. Grand Prix. He will compete for all individual titles but Foley doesn't want him to have it easy in pursuit of a hat trick of titles.

"Pete (Waterfield) will be the diver to beat in all of the men's events but I'll be looking for divers to push him. In the women's events it's more open with a number of athletes vying for national titles," said Foley. "This competition is poised to throw up a few surprises because of the interesting position British Diving is in at the moment. We've lost people recently who carried the sport and we need to replace them quickly. It's time for the next generation to step forward and this weekend is the chance to see whether they do that."

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