DIVING: Trio of golds for brilliant Ben

Luton Diving Club's Ben Cutmore picked up a superb three gold medals while representing Great Britain at the Mediterranean Cup in Bolzano, Italy recently.
Ben Cutmore celebrates his gold medalBen Cutmore celebrates his gold medal
Ben Cutmore celebrates his gold medal

This was the 13-year-old’s first international event accompanied by coach Sam Buck, who has coached him from lessons stage as a beginner diver.

It’s been a fine season for Ben, who was crowned British National Elite Champion and is also National Champion on Platform, while he has also represented GB at the Dresden Open international event earlier in the year too.

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The club also took a team of nine to the National Skills, as for Oliwier Slinko, Enhakkorre Obeng, Hardie Roberts, Elodie Roberts, Jordan Fisher-Eammes and Baye Cook-McDonald, it was their first event.

Oliwier SlinkoOliwier Slinko
Oliwier Slinko

The competition is where three different stages are used, including the poolside, the one metre board and the three metre board, with three skills performed from each discipline and the scores then totalled together.

Slinko won an excellent gold in the 10/11 years event, to be crowned National Skills champion, while Cook-McDonald came seventh, Roberts 11th, Obeng 12th and Ludo Waterman 18th,

In the 8/9-years event, Joshua Bush was fifth, with Fisher-Eammes 13th and Roberts 21st, while the 12/13 girls event saw Isabelle Davis come 15th.

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Luton DC also took a team of eight to the National Age Groups event, as for Grace Conolly, Amy Rollinson and Nat Connolly, it was their first such competition.

Oliwier SlinkoOliwier Slinko
Oliwier Slinko

There were silvers for Annie Thomas in 16/18 years platform and Rollinson in the girls 12/13 years one metre synchronised event, plus Hugo Thomas’ bronze in the 10-11 years three metre springboard competition.

Also competing for the club were Grace Connolly (33rd in 12/13 girls 1m; 36th in 3m and 19th in platform); Katie Burton (22nd in 1m; 25th in 3m); Amy Rollinson (17th in 1m; 15th in 3m; 21st in platform); James Pollard (9th in 12/13 boys 1m; 18th in 3m; 21st in platform; 10th in synchronised event); Hugo Thomas (8th in 1m; 12th in platform); Nat Connolly (13th in 1m; 16th in 3m; 10th in platform) and Jacob Keddy (11th in 1m; 19th in 3m).

Meanwhile, Hayley Sage, performance coach for Luton Diving Club and Active Luton represented Great Britain as the GB judge at the Junior European diving event in Croatia recently.

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She has previously judged at the Seven Nations diving event held in Edinburgh, and was selected as the Great Britain judge for the World Cup Olympic qualifiers earlier this year in Rio, Brazil, achieving her highest level judging event.

Sage added: “I would love to one day be considered and selected as the GB judge at the Olympic Games.

“It is great to have previously competed at the Olympic Games and many World events and now sitting on the other side as a judge and awarding the divers what they are due in a high level event.

“It’s great to be representing the country again within the sport but from another angle. I feel it really helps my coaching, and keeps me up to date with what the rest of the world are doing to help me to hopefully produce some super stars in the near future.”

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