DIVING: Australia’s diving stocks are continuing to rise in the lead-up to the Rio Olympics, with Perth teenager Maddison Keeney finishing a close fourth in the final of the women’s 3-metre springboard at the World Cup in Brazil.
19-year-old Keeney recovered from a disappointing second dive to finish with three high scoring dives to grab fourth place, just two points behind Canadian bronze medallist, Jennifer Abel.
Keeney was second last in the 12-strong final after two dives. China’s Tingmao Shi and Zi He took the gold and the silver medals.
Keeney’s fourth placing in the Olympic-class field follows on from bronze medals for Melissa Wu in the women’s platform, and for the ultra-consistent Esther Qin and Samantha Mills in the women’s 3-metre synchro.
“I was much more relaxed than I was in the semi-final,” Keeney said.
“After my second dive I thought ‘well I’m pretty much done for this comp, I just wanted to finish my last three dives as well as I could for myself’.
“I’ve been training pretty well, I think I’ve improved quite a lot in the past six months since worlds, but I know I’ve got a bit to go.”
The result is also a breakthrough for an athlete with unlimited potential but who has always struggled with nerves.
Keeney attempts dives very few other divers in the world would try, including a final dive of a forward-facing 2.5 somersaults with two twists in a pike position.
Only one other diver, Canada’s Abel, attempted that dive in the final, and if successful, the rewards can be enormous.
“For me I know it’s a bit of a cushion, I know I can do it pretty well and that I can get a pretty good score without doing anything too special,” Keeney said.
Meanwhile Melissa Wu also believes she has made a major breakthrough after her platform bronze earlier in the week.
“I know I’m capable of doing my dives really well, it was always about putting it together under pressure,” Wu said.
“I’m just happy that I dived well, especially after having some disappointing rounds in the prelim and semis. It was pretty nerve-wracking knowing it was the Olympic venue.
“I was happy to get a medal, but mostly I was just happy that I dived well. I felt better going in than I did in the earlier rounds.”
Like Keeney and the synchro pair of Mills and Qin, Wu can now be considered a genuine medal prospect if, of course, she qualifies for the Olympic team at the Australian trials.
“Even looking at the final, there’s still a lot of things I know I can improve on,” Wu said.
“So even though I’m happy with how I went, I know I can improve even more.
“To be able to finish strong in this pool, before hopefully coming back for the Olympics, was a great mental victory.”
In more good news for Australia, Commonwealth Games synchro gold medallist, Domonic Bedggood, finished fifth in the preliminary round of the men’s platform, and will dive in the semi finals tomorrow morning, Australian time.
ROSS SOLLY FOR DIVING AUSTRALIA