Aquatics

Red Bull Cliff Diving star Hunt impressed with talent on show at Armada Cup

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SEVEN-times Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series champion Gary Hunt was a special guest at Plymouth’s Armada Cup competition.

Hunt was there to watch the high diving event that features in the popular four-day annual meeting, which came to a close on Tuesday afternoon.

“I never missed this event as a junior and now it’s even better as it has a feet first event,” said Hunt, who was happy to pass on tips to youngsters at the Life Centre.

He tweeted afterwards:  “I’ve had a great time at Armada Cup, seen lots of future Red Bull Cliff Diving talent. In such a good mood I even chucked a back 3.5 off 10.”

Plymouth’s Aidan Heslop, who last year became the youngest diver to ever compete in a Red Bull Cliff Diving Series event at just 16, won the high diving competition, with team-mates Euan McCabe, Connor West and Josh Freeman completing the top four. Fellow Plymouth divers Frances Burdett, Scarlett Colbourne and Lucy Gutierrez-Freeman made it a girls’ one-two-three for the host club.

Heslop and Plymouth Diving’s other high-profile athletes were again all happy to support the Armada Cup and show up-and-coming future stars what they can do.

Commonwealth Games and European medal winner Matthew Dixon, who recently took second behind Tom Daley at the British National Cup, dominated the men’s section.

He took gold in the platform, one-metre and three-metre events.

As well as winning the high diving, Heslop also claimed silver in the one-metre and bronze in the platform.

Alfie Brown took second in the platform, while Connor West picked up the same colour medal in the three-metre and was fourth in the platform. Tommy Davis, meanwhile, claimed bronze behind Dixon and Heslop in the men’s one-metre competition.

In the women’s section, Kayleigh Sinclair won the one-metre and three-metre titles, while Shanice Lobb took gold in the platform, with Cody Powell-Tuckett bagging silver and Emily Martin just missing out on a medal in fourth.

Powell-Tuckett also claimed bronze in the one-metre, while Emily Martin did win a bronze in the three-metre.

Sinclair also secured gold in the 14-18 years’ three-metre girls’ synchro with Summer Radcliffe, who took silver in the individual girls’ B three-metre event.

Euan McCabe, who competed at the recent National Cup, won the boys’ B platform and one-metre events and took bronze in the one-metre. Club colleague Josh Freeman came third in the platform and also reached the finals of the two springboard events.

Zachery Anderson was in good form in the boys’ C section. He won the one-metre and three-metre titles and took bronze in the platform. Anderson also teamed up with Southend’s Todd Geggus to win the under-13 boys’ one-metre synchro final.

Scarlett Colbourne and Amelie Underwood won the under-13 girls’ one-metre synchro, with Plymouth team-mates Ellie Pearce and Katie Martin second.

In addition, Colbourne won the girls’ E/D platform event, took silver in the one-metre and bronze in the three-metre, which was won by her synchro partner Underwood. Underwood also took third in the platform competition.

Youngster Theo Stevens ended the four-day competition on a high by winning the boys’ E/D one-metre competition, with team-mate Ollie Heath finishing third.

In the three-metre and platform events it had been the opposite way around, with Heath winning and Stevens third. Jake Harrison-Benetton and Harry Denham both were close to medals by claiming fourth places in that age category.

The Armada Cup attracts competitors from all over the country with Southend, Albatross, Dacorum, Southampton, Edinburgh, Corby, City of Leeds, Dive London, Crystal Palace, Luton, Ayr and Aberdare Comets diving clubs all sending participants.

Plymouth Diving won the team event and also claimed the top club award.

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