Houlden Headlines Successful Grand Prix for British Diving

Competing in the Men’s Open 3m Springboard Final, City of Sheffield competitor Houlden’s final dive of Forward 4 ½ Somersaults Tuck (worth 81.70 points) saw him take the gold medal with 438.75, just a point ahead of Jamaica’s previous front-runner Yona Knight-Wisdom. Following the pair in third was fellow City of Leeds man Dan Goodfellow, who recovered well from a drop on his third dive to take the bronze (380.85).

Speaking on his success, Jordan was keen to emphasise that there is more to come ahead of the World Championships in Budapest. 

“I'm pretty delighted with the result. I've still got room for improvement. So now, after Canada, it's just about working on the final details going into World Championships," he said.

The Dive London Aquatics pair of Kyle Kothari and Ben Cutmore added to the British medal haul in Calgary, with the duo taking silver in the Men’s Open 10m Synchro Final. The consistency of their dives saw them edge out Canada’s Benjamin Tessier and Matt Cullen for second to finish with a score of 374.58; their Inward 3 ½ Somersaults Tuck (78.72) providing the most points.

Another among the medals was Lois Toulson, with the City of Leeds diver just outscoring USA’s Bailee Sturgill to claim the bronze in the Women’s Open Platform Final. Her final dive was the difference, a Back 2 1/2 Somersaults 1 1/2 Twists Pike providing a score of 76.80, taking her total to 293.40. Also competing in that final was Robyn Birch, the Dive London Aquatics athlete producing a highlight Armstand Back 2 Somersaults 1 ½ Twists Free (59.20), to take fifth place in 250.35.

Elsewhere, Maya Kutty and Callie Eaglestone claimed bronze in the Women’s Open 3m Synchro Final. In what was a high-quality field, the duo put together a strong set of dives to run the medallists all the way to the final round. Finishing with a Forward 2 ½ Somersaults 1 Twist Pike (54.90), they finished fourth overall and earned FINA Diving Grand Prix bronze to round off on a score of 250.50, with Canadian pairs in both first and second.

The final event of the Grand Prix saw Robbie Lee and Ben Cutmore finish fifth and sixth respectively in the Men’s Open Platform Final. Lee’s Back 3 ½ Somersault Tuck (80.85) contributed to an overall score of 435.75, with Cutmore recovering well from a drop on his fourth dive to score a solid 72.00 on his Back 2 ½ Somersaults 1 ½ Twists. 

For the full results from Canada, click here.