A squad of 13 divers has been chosen to represent Team England at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in April.
Team England has previously won 67 medals in diving at the Commonwealth Games, including 27 gold, and topped the diving medal table at Glasgow 2014. The 13-strong team already has nine Commonwealth medals between them, while a number of the chosen athletes will be competing at their first Games.
Amongst the line-up is World champion Tom Daley, World silver medallist Lois Toulson, and current British champions Matthew Dixon and Jack Haslam.
This will be Daley’s third Commonwealth Games, having won three gold medals at Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014. The Dive London Aquatic Centre athlete will be representing Team England in the individual 10m Platform and 3m Synchro events.
Commenting on his selection, World 10m Platform champion Daley said: “It is an honour to be selected to represent Team England at my third Commonwealth Games.
“I had a great year last year, retaining my 10m title at the World Championships, and I am hoping that I can build on that and put in some great performances out on the Gold Coast in April.”
For Toulson this will be her first Commonwealth Games but she is no stranger to international competition. The Huddersfield-born diver won two golds at the 2017 European Championships in Kiev and secured silver at the Beijing World Series in 2016.
World silver medallist Toulson said: “I feel very honoured to be selected for my first Commonwealth Games, and I am looking forward to representing Team England out in Australia.
“I’ve had a good start to the year, holding on to my title at the British Diving Championships last month, so I’m feeling good about the Gold Coast. Hopefully I can keep that momentum going and put in some strong performances in April.”
Plymouth diver Dixon is among those who are yet to clinch a Commonwealth medal. He competed at Glasgow 2014 and since then has been making waves on the international circuit. The 17-year-old took gold on the 10m Platform at the European Junior Championships in Bergen. At the British Diving Championships last month he secured his place on the team after winning the 10m Platform title.
Dixon said: “I am so pleased and honoured to be selected for the Commonwealth Games and to be representing Team England again as this is my second Commonwealths. I am so happy and excited to be going out to Australia, I can’t wait!”
City of Sheffield diver, Haslam secured his place on Team England when he took the 3m Springboard title at the British Diving Championships 2018. Haslam will be flying out to the Gold Coast alongside his brother Ross, who is also a City of Sheffield diver.
Commenting on his selection for Team England, Jack Haslam said: “The Commonwealth Games is one of the most prestigious competitions there is, so it’s a massive honour to be able to represent Team England.
“I am over the moon to be going to the Gold Coast and what makes it even more special is that one of the events that I will be competing in over there will be the synchronised 3m with my brother which is incredible!”
Also announced today are five coaches and three support staff who will be joining the athletes. These include London Aquatics Centre HPC Coach Jane Figueiredo and Leeds HPC Coaches Adam Smallwood and Marc Holdsworth.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Team Leader Kim White said: “The announcement today shows we have a very strong team for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. We’ve got a good mix of experienced athletes as well as some younger divers.
“We had a great British Diving Championships in Plymouth last month and I’m confident we’ll see some good performances on the Gold Coast. Hopefully we can build on our previous Commonwealth Games success and bring home a few medals from the four days of diving.”
The announcement comes just over two months before the opening ceremony of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on 4 April 2018.
Sarah Winckless, Chef de Mission for Commonwealth Games England, said: “I’m so pleased to welcome the divers to Team England. My personal experience of this group is varied; I was a team mate to Tom in Beijing and ran an ambition program for Robyn, Daniel and others in 2012. It gives me great pleasure to see that their dedication and focus has led them to being a key part of our team in the Gold Coast. Their competition is going to be in the fantastic outdoor arena on the Gold Coast creating a stunning back drop. In this group we certainly have the experience and talent to achieve some great performances and I can’t wait to see them in action in Australia.”Athletes announced for the Team England Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games diving team today (5 February 2018):
Coaches and support staff announced for the Team England Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games diving team today (5 February 2018):
