Bronze medal for St Albans diver Sweeney (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

St Albans teenager Sweeney wins bronze at annual diving competition

2:10pm Wednesday 20th March 2013 in Sport

Teenager Summer-Jasmine Sweeney won a bronze medal at the annual Armada Cup Diving competitions in Plymouth.

The 16-year-old from St Albans is on the Herts Talented Athletes Program and made the long journey south to the new 10m diving facility at the Plymouth Life Centre.

This competition provided her with some tough opposition as part of her programme build-up as she prepares for the GB Elite Diving Championships that are being held in Leeds at the end of this month.

Sweeney first competed in the 1m springboard event and dived very consistently in the prelims to qualify for the finals where she fought to get amongst the medals. A solid performance on 1m led to a well-deserved bronze medal just two points off the silver.

This was a boost for her confidence just prior to competing next on the 3m springboard. Sweeney had added a new dive to her optional list, a reverse somersault, that she was using for the first time in a competition of this level. The dive was successful and added impetus to her bid to make the final on 3m too which she did in third place.

The final proved tough with all her competitors stepping up a gear. Sweeney finally finished just outside the medals in fourth spot, a mere two points off another medal. Although a little disappointed she was pleased with her overall performance over the weekend and is looking forward to an even bigger challenge at the GB Elites in Leeds.

Her coach Bill Clark said: “Summer joined my squad just over six months ago, she very quickly settled in and demonstrated her enthusiasm and work-rate right from the start. She had a solid foundation in diving skills but lacked basic fitness and strength and we have been working on that as well as starting to add new dives to her list.

“I am very impressed with the support she has been getting from the Herts Sports Village based Talented Athletes Program. The coaches and staff there are providing excellent support services in terms of strength and conditioning as well as regular physiological monitoring and general advice.

“I am pleased to be able to work closely with them to enhance her programme and her future performances. Summer is very competitive and already looking forward to her next competition.”