April 2019
Promising Results for the NZ National Team at the USA Grand Prix
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Six members of the New Zealand National team competed at the USA Diving Grand Prix in Mission Viejo on 11-14 April. This is the first major competition of the season, and the divers performed well with promising results. Steve Gladding, head coach of the NZ team was positive about the results and is looking forward to seeing what the team will achieve in the coming months, as they prepare for the World Championships to be held in Gwangju, Korea in July.
Day 1 of the FINA Diving Grand Prix in Mission Viejo saw three of New Zealand’s best female springboard divers hit the Womens 3m event in a field of 31 divers consisting of multiple Olympians, World Championships medalists and Commonwealth Games Champions. |
From left to right: YuQian Goh, Liam Stone, Shaye Boddington, Nathan Brown, Lizzie Cui, Anton Down-Jenkins
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From left to right: YuQian Goh, Shaye Boddington, Lizzie Cui
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The highlight of this event was Rio 2016 Olympian Lizzie Cui finishing an impressive 9th in the preliminary round progressing to semifinals where she managed to finish in sixth position. Auckland Diving native Shaye Boddington also stayed consistent throughout the event, finishing a strong 18th place in the world-class field, less than 20 points off the semifinals. YuQian Goh also managed to finish the event in 27th place.
Day 1 also saw Nathan Brown tackle the Men’s 10m event, a field of 24 divers including World Cup medallists and World Series qualifiers. Nathan made a positive impression on the judges, highlighted by his 305b which scored 67.50 points, advancing him to a 20th place finish. Day 2 of the US leg of the Grand Prix circuit was the Men’s turn to take to the 3m springboard in an incredible 41 diver event, consisting of an extensive list of Olympians, World Champions, as well as the 2014 Commonwealth Games Champion of the 3m event. |
At the end of the 2+ hour event, Wellington Diving Club native Anton Down-Jenkins finished 9th out of 45 after the preliminaries - highlighted by his 5154b scoring him 71.40 points, and qualifying him for the semifinals later that day. As with Cui, Anton finished a respectable 6th place in his semifinal event. Auckland native Liam Stone placed 33rd in the gruelling event, highlighted by his 5152b for 63.00 points.
Day 3 was another successful day for the Kiwis on the World stage, as Stone and Down-Jenkins teamed up to take on the Men’s 3m Synchronised Final, consisting of 13 strong teams. The NZ team managed an incredible 8th place finish, less than a point behind the 7th place Malaysian pair and little over 20 points out of the top 5.
The final day saw three New Zealanders take on the international stage. First up was the Women’s 3m Synchro pairing of YuQian Goh and Lizzie Cui. In a field of 9 teams including the current Commonwealth Games Champions in this event. The Kiwis managed to finish in 7th place, totalling 242.10 points. Goh then went on to challenge the Mixed Synchronised 3m Final paired with Down-Jenkins. The team finished the final in 7th place.
Day 3 was another successful day for the Kiwis on the World stage, as Stone and Down-Jenkins teamed up to take on the Men’s 3m Synchronised Final, consisting of 13 strong teams. The NZ team managed an incredible 8th place finish, less than a point behind the 7th place Malaysian pair and little over 20 points out of the top 5.
The final day saw three New Zealanders take on the international stage. First up was the Women’s 3m Synchro pairing of YuQian Goh and Lizzie Cui. In a field of 9 teams including the current Commonwealth Games Champions in this event. The Kiwis managed to finish in 7th place, totalling 242.10 points. Goh then went on to challenge the Mixed Synchronised 3m Final paired with Down-Jenkins. The team finished the final in 7th place.