Maisie Bond delivered a pair of medal-winning platform performances to spearhead the efforts of Aquatics GB's young team at the World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships in Rio de Janeiro over the past week.
The City of Sheffield competitor - who flew out to Rio fresh from winning Emerging Diver of the Year at The Aquatics GB Awards 2024 - opened the competition by partnering Hannah Newbrook (Dive London) to a brilliant bronze in an eye-catchingly competitive Girls 10m Synchro (for athletes aged from 14-18 years) on the opening day. The result came in part thanks to a superbly-executed Inward 3 1/2 Somersaults Tuck (407C) to close their list, the 66.24 points from the judges scoring higher than any dive in the event and securing a podium place, only 1.14 points off gold.
Bond followed that success up by securing silver in the individual Girls 10m Platform (16-18 years). Again, it was the Inward 3 1/2 Somersaults Tuck that proved crucial, the 76.80 she claimed for an outstanding rip entry helping her recover from a slight drop in round two to finish well for the silver, mirroring the result she got in the younger age bracket at the last World Juniors in 2022. Synchro partner Newbrook, meanwhile, was sixth in the individual contest.
Elsewhere, Robbie Wood (City of Sheffield) was busy on his World Juniors debut. He came within three points of the podium to finish fifth in the Boys 3m Springboard (14-15), while he was seventh in the 10m Platform event as he tested himself against the world's best in his age range from both heights. Wood and Jorden Fisher-Eames joined up to place sixth in the Boys 10m Synchro.
Noah Penman and Skye Fisher-Eames also competed well across both springboard and platform contests, with Noah (Aberdeen Diving Club) coming sixth in the Boys 10m Platform (16-18) and eighth in the 1m Springboard (16-18), while Skye (Dive London) secured two top-12 finishes on her Worlds bow. She was 7th in the Girls 10m Platform (14-15) and 11th in the 3m Springboard event. Todd Geggus was seventh in the Boys 3m Springboard (16-18) competition.
Every member of the team will return from Rio with a wealth of major arena experience under their belts as they build into the 2025 season, with the dates for the 2025 European Junior Diving Championships now confirmed for 23rd-29th June in Greece.
For full results from the 2024 World Junior Diving Championships, visit the World Aquatics website.
