Oceania Championships - Day 2 Wrap

Originally published: http://www.diving.asn.au/news/

CONNOR ADDS NEXT PIECE IN OLYMPIC DIVING PUZZLE

James Connor has added the final individual quota spot for the Australian diving team for next year’s Rio Olympics with victory in the men’s platform final at the Oceania Championships in Melbourne.

The Victorian, who currently studies and competes in the United States, finished with 490.15 points, well ahead of second place Kurtis Mathews on 395.20.

Connor’s win means Australia will have two divers in every individual event at next year’s Olympics.

Other Olympic quotas on the weekend were achieved by Brittany Broben (platform) and Grant Nel (springboard)

Connor himself secured Australia’s first 3-metre quota at this year’s World Championships in Kazan. Domonic Bedggood secured the first men’s platform quota at the same event.

Other quota spots in Kazan were secured by Esther Qin and Maddison Keeney in the 3-metre, and Melissa Wu in the women’s platform.

Australia’s Samantha Mills and Qin also qualified a quota for the women’s 3-metre synchro in Kazan, but will have to wait until next year’s World Cup in Rio to try and qualify in the men’s 3-metre and platform synchro, and the women’s platform synchro.

The final Olympic squad will be decided at the Australian Championships in May.

In other events on Sunday, Anabelle Smith won the 3-metre springboard final, finishing just ahead of her Commonwealth Games teammate, Georgia Sheehan.

Melissa Wu and Brittany Broben teamed up to win the women’s platform synchro, while Matthew Carter and Ross Todd won the men’s 3-metre synchro.

Oceania Championships - Day 1 Wrap

Originally published: http://www.diving.asn.au/news/

DUO SHRUG OFF INJURY TO QUALIFY MORE OLYMPIC DIVING SPOTS FOR AUSTRALIA

Divers Grant Nel and Brittany Broben have put their injury battles behind them to qualify two more spots for Australia at next year’s Rio Olympics.

Nel, who was warned by doctors earlier this year he might not walk again if he continued to dive, edged out Beijing platform gold medalist, Matthew Mitcham, to win the men’s 3-metre springboard at the Oceania Championships in Melbourne.

The lead changed on several occasions during the final, but neither diver was able to stamp their authority. Nel eventually won, 490 to Mitcham’s 482.30. New Zealand’s Liam Stone finished third.

And London silver medalist, Brittany Broben, put her long battle with shoulder problems behind her to win the women’s platform.

Broben went into the final as the second-ranked diver, after fellow Queenslander Emily Meaney finished on top in the semi-final.

But she was untroubled in the final, finishing with 364.70, with promising Western Australian diver tag Williamson second with 313.85.

The results mean Australia will now have two divers in the men’s springboard and the women’s platform, after James Connor and Melissa Wu secured quota spots when they made the finals at this year’s World Championships.

They already have two divers in the women’s 3-metre at next year’s Olympics, after both Esther Qin and Maddison Keeney made the Kazan final.

Australia will look to complete their individual quota list on Sunday in the men’s platform. Domonic Bedggood earned one spot at the World Championships.

The team has already earned a women’s springboard synchro quota, after Samantha Mills and Esther Qin won bronze in Kazan. They combined again to win the Oceania gold medal on Saturday, but finished less than one point ahead of fellow Australians, Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney.

Australia will look to claim the remaining synchro spots - the men’s and women’s platform, and the men’s 3-metre - at next year’s Rio World Cup.

The final Olympic team will be decided at next year’s Australian Championships in May.