PLYMOUTH’S Aidan Heslop produced a breath-taking closing dive to become world champion for the first time in his young career in the men’s 27m high diving event in Doha.
Having placed fifth on his World Aquatics Championships debut last summer, Heslop put himself in contention for the podium this time around after two solid dives on Tuesday’s first day of competition, meaning he sat second heading into the final two dives on Thursday.
It was always likely to come down to his closing forward four somersaults three-and-a-half twists pike (5187B), with a 6.2 degree of difficulty – the hardest dive ever completed at a World Championships, just as he did in Fukuoka in 2023. The 21-year-old nailed it, receiving eights and 8.5s from the judges to receive a massive 151.90 points, leaving him on 422.95 overall.
There was a nervous wait as he watched Catalin-Petru Preda of Romania and France’s Gary Hunt finish their lists after him – but Heslop’s score was enough to secure him a maiden world title by a margin of nine points.
“It’s pretty nice [being called world champion],” he said. “The dives weren’t exactly what I was looking for, especially on the first day – but today, I put that final dive down like it should be most of the time, it was pretty consistent today, and when you’ve got the big dives, that’s all you need to be on the top of the podium.
“I’m ecstatic, absolutely, but there’s more to be done, that’s for sure. That dive has brought me happiness and sadness at different competitions. It’s been good this week – I was really nervous up on top, as you would be, but I knew what I needed to do, and the two I’ve done in training this week have been pretty excellent as well.
“I think this was probably the worst of the three, actually, but if it’s enough to get me on top of the podium, I’m happy with that right now!”
Alongside some of his fellow high divers, Heslop’s drive to execute more and more difficult dives is driving this incredible sport on to greater heights – and that is something he hopes can continue.
“Being at the forefront of some of the biggest dives that people are doing nowadays is fun – it’s risky, but it’s fun,” said Heslop, who recently finished second in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
“We are throwing these big dives that are most of the times within our limits, and we know what those are. But to deliver those in competition is a completely different story.
“I really like the position I’m in right now, and what I am doing to help develop the sport and develop those bigger dives.”
Meanwhile, Plymouth’s next crop of up-and-coming divers were in action at the annual Armada Cup at the Life Centre earlier this week.
In the girls’ A age group platform event, Madeleine Elliott and Erin Healey came first and second.
There was also a gold medal for William Heath in the boys’ age group B platform, with his team-mate Louie McCue just missing out on joining him on the podium in fourth.
Katie Martin and Maia Pearson topped the podium in the A/B girls’ three-metre synchro, with Amelie Underwood and her Dive London partner Caitly Coster second.
Martin and Amelie Underwood also took silver and bronze in the girls’ junior elite A three-metre final, with Underwood also picking up a silver in the one metre event, where Maia Pearson was fourth.
Harry Westbury was a multi-medallist in the boys’ age group C category. He won silver in the one-metre and bronze in the three and claimed a silver with Charlie Clinick in the synchro one-metre.
Oliver Heath and Archie Waines both medalled in the boys’ junior elite A open category. Heath took bronze in the one-metre and came fourth in the three-metre, while Waines claimed bronze in the three-metre.
In the boys’ junior elite B category, Noah Underwood secured bronze medals in the platform and three-metre finals, while Seth Greentree claimed two bronzes in the boys’ age group D springboard events.