The Plymouth Life Centre is set for the 2023 edition of the British Elite Junior Diving Championships, which gets underway today and hosts four days of star-studded junior national action from 13th-16th April.
The event promises to showcase the best of Great Britain’s talent right the way through the junior ranks, and will begin with Boys B 3m prelims this morning, with the day culminating on the springboards as the Girls C 3m finals bring the first day of action to a close. Across the opening day, medals will be awarded in the Boys B and C 3m Springboard and Boys A 1m Springboard contests, as well as the Girls B 3m, Girls A Platform and Girls C 3m.
In age categories, Group C will feature athletes between nine and 13 years of age, B comprises athletes between 14 and 15, and A will be athletes between 16 and 18 years.
There are 78 medals up for grabs over the 22 events in the South West, with close to 100 young divers looking to make their mark. The competition is also the key selection event for the team that will compete at August's European Junior Diving Championships in Rijeka, Croatia.
Day two in Plymouth will see the first of the synchro action at the event with the platform divers in action, with other highlights including the Boys A 3m and the Girls A 1m events, before the attention turns to the Boys and Girls 3m Synchro on the penultimate day, with the 14-18 year old athletes battling it out for the Elite Juniors title.
The final day of diving action will take place on the Sunday, as World Junior medallist Robbie Lee takes part in the Boys A Platform on what will be his final year as a junior, as well as what will be a scintillating Girls A 3m final.
Also set to take to the boards and platform over the weekend are World Junior medallists Jake Passmore, Jordan Fisher-Eames, Tilly Brown, Leon Baker, Hugo Thomas, Euan McCabe, Oscar Kane and Archie Biggin. The group will all be looking to use the event as a key stepping stone towards the British Diving Championships next month – and then ahead to the summer international season.
Previewing the event, British Diving Performance Pathway Lead Julian Bellan said: "It's great that our Elite Junior Diving Championships are returning to Plymouth in 2023. As we build into another important year for the sport, the competition will serve as a key selection meet for the European Junior Championships this summer, when we will be excited to see how our athletes follow on from brilliant performances in that competition and the World Junior Championships of 2022."
"In the meantime, this Elite Junior Diving Championships again promises to be a high-quality event with a fantastic standard of competition, which will provide our young divers with the opportunity to test all the hard work they have put in across months of training, as well as aiding them in their transition into the senior ranks."
Make sure to follow the British Swimming social media channels for updates across the competition, while every session will be livestreamed on the British Swimming YouTube channel.