Krakow 2023: Meet Team GB's diving sensations

Krakow 2023 26 Jun 23

The diving board has been a happy home for Team GB in Rzeszow. 

Seven days of competition have yielded seven medals, as Team GB stars old and new have risen to the fore.

Whether it’s been their sublime synchronisation or exemplary entries, British divers have shone in Poland.

Meet the diving stars of Krakow 2023.

Eden Cheng – Gold, women’s 10m platform 

She might be just 20 years old, but Eden Cheng is no stranger to European gold medals. 

Cheng earned her first taste aged just 15 when she won 10m synchro gold with Lois Toulson at the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow. 

Four silvers across women’s and mixed 10m synchro followed at a number of events, but now Cheng is doing it on her own, sensationally sealing solo 10m gold in Poland to claim her first individual title. 

The 20-year-old topped qualifying with a superb three-and-a-half somersault, before following it up when it mattered most to clinch gold with a back two-and-a-half somersault, one-and-a-half twist. 

“Very happy, slightly relieved, a bit emotional – I’m feeling a lot of emotions right now!” said Cheng 

“I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to be selected for this team and to be in the competition amongst friends and fierce competitors.  

“It’s boosting my confidence and showing me that my resilience is still at a very high level through the rollercoaster of competition.” 

Cheng’s gold also sealed Team GB an unnamed quota spot for Paris 2024. 

Amy Rollinson and Desharne Bent-Ashmeil – Gold, women’s 3m springboard synchro 

Less than three months separate Amy Rollinson and Desharne Bent-Ashmeil, but the pair might well be twins such was their synchronicity out on the diving board. 

The teenage duo were in lockstep from the start to finish as they topped the women’s 3m springboard synchro standings, registering three huge final dives to ensure they finished top of the podium. 

It was the perfect reward for the pair after battling a number of injuries ahead of the Games, and an agonising fourth-placed finish at last year’s European Championships where they missed out on bronze by 0.3 points. 

“We’re really happy after the year we’ve had with injuries and everything, and it’s great to finally show what we can do after last year all the fourths we had,” said Rollinson. 

“I also had surgery at the beginning of this season and then me and Desharne have both had ankle issues to add to that so the fact me and Desharne have built back up from not doing anything to a European title is amazing.” 

And if the pair’s superb form continues, they will have to get used to more renditions of ‘God Save The King’. 

“I was scared that I was going to get it wrong,” laughed Rollinson. “It felt amazing to actually hear it for what we’d achieved because we’ve never had that before so it was amazing to stand there and sing it.” 

Ross Haslam – Gold, men’s 1m springboard 

There were three days between the first and second Team GB golds on the diving boards, but Ross Haslam made sure it was less than three hours until the third. 

Haslam shone in the men’s 1m springboard final, taking top spot by over 11 points as he bounced back from disappointment in the 3m springboard to achieve both elation and redemption. 

He said: “There’s been a long time where I thought I wouldn’t get back onto an international team, so the fact that I was here was like ‘ok here we go, that’s step one’. 

“When I started diving again after my injuries and coming back, learning to try and enjoy it again and not put too much pressure on myself and I don’t think I executed greatly that on Saturday, but today I just thought to myself it’s a new day, go again, nice and calm and not trying to do too much, just land on your head, preferably rip and we should be ok!” 

Grace Reid and James Heatly – Silver, mixed 3m springboard synchro 

Scottish pair Grace Reid and James Heatly have pretty much seen it all when it comes to diving, and they used all their experience to help them to silver in the mixed 3m springboard synchro. 

Healty earned three medals, one of each colour, in the first European Games in Baku and added another to his collection eight years later. 

He did it alongside Reid, with whom he clinched Commonwealth gold, European silver, and world bronze last summer. 

And the pair are determined to add more medals to their ever-growing collection before they leave Poland. 

“James and I really enjoyed the event, [we are] pleased with silver, obviously would have loved to have won but we’ve both got a couple more events to come and [are] still super excited.” 

Robbie Lee - Silver, men's 10m platform

For Robbie Lee, one dive was all it took to impress on the European Games stage.

The teenager soared into a podium position after recieving the highest score of the day, an incredible 92.60, for his forward four and a half somersaults.

And with the stunning dive in his back pocked, Lee stood strong against an experienced field to claim silver.

“It’s very special and I’m so happy," he said.

"My first major senior event and to come away with a silver medal is great and knowing I could do a lot more and a lot better is so good as well. I’m very exited for the future.”

Matthew Dixon and Ben Cutmore – Bronze, men’s 10m platform synchro 

While some synchro pairings have been together for years, Matthew Dixon and Ben Cutmore have made their partnership work in just a fortnight. 

Whatever they did in their four training sessions together clearly paid off, as the duo earned bronze in the men’s 10m platform synchro. 

“It means loads, it’s our first comp together, we haven’t done much training and for our first competition to get a bronze medal is great,” said Dixon. 

“We only got told this was the partnership two weeks before we came, and we’ve only really had four sessions training it as we’ve both got other events,” added Cutmore. 

“To be able to put all of our dives together in the right timing, that synchronisation is something I’m really proud of.”

Amazing Grace

Grace Reid added yet another medal to her collection with bronze in the women's 1m springboard.

It means she will be coming back from Krakow with two medals after winning mixed 3m springboard synchro with James Heatly, but insists there will not be too much time for celebrations.

She said: "It’s been a really long week, there’s been a lot of competition so really pleased to be at the end of competition and to finish with that result I’m really happy.

"I think a few days of recovery is probably needed for everyone but I think I have plans to back in training on Monday, yeah we can’t stop and sit still as we’re athletes so we’ll be back training in no time."

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