PLYMOUTH’S Matthew Dixon will get the chance to push his claims for an Olympic spot after being named in Great Britain’s team to compete at next month’s FINA Diving World Cup in Tokyo.
British champion Dixon will compete in the 10m individual event in the Japanese capital, alongside Noah Williams, with fellow Plymothian Tom Daley just concentrating on the synchro event with Matty Lee.
It will be the first chance any of the British divers have had to compete for more than a year.
The World Cup will take place between April 18 and April 23 and is a test event for this summer’s Olympic Games. It should have been held last April but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It will be a tough competition, with a handful of Olympic quota places still up for grabs for nations.
British Diving’s performance director Alexei Evangulov said after naming his 15-diver squad: “I’m delighted to name such a strong British team for the World Cup. This is such a key competition for us, with qualification still up for grabs in certain events and having been out of competition for so long.
“I am, however, very confident in our preparations. Last year, I was so impressed with how hard our divers worked when they were out of the water and they came back in better shape than me and my coaches could have imagined.
“It will also be very important to experience the venue in Japan, and how the organisers manage Covid protocols at what is usually an extremely busy event. This will be especially important during the warm up sessions, and will be an extremely valuable experience for our divers.
“For now though, we must really focus on being in our best shape for the World Cup, European Championships and Olympic Games.”
While Great Britain has qualified a pair of spots in most disciplines, thanks to strong performances at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, there are still single spots up for grabs in the women’s three-metre springboard and three-metre synchro, as well as the women’s 10m platform and 10m synchro events.
Former Marjon student Robyn Birch will compete in the women’s 10m individual event, while another former Plymouth diver Daniel Goodfellow will compete in the three-metre individual and synchro events.
Great Britain team for the 2021 FINA Diving World Cup
James Heatly – 3m
Daniel Goodfellow – 3m, 3m synchro
Jack Laugher – 3m synchro
Matthew Dixon – 10m
Noah Williams – 10m
Tom Daley – 10m synchro
Matty Lee – 10m synchro
Maria Papworth – 3m
Scarlett Mew-Jensen – 3m
Grace Reid – 3m synchro
Katherine Torrance – 3m synchro
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix – 10m (10m synchro reserve)
Robyn Birch – 10m
Lois Toulson – 10m synchro
Eden Cheng – 10m synchro