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One of the most watchable events at the Commonwealth Games, tickets for the diving at Glasgow 2014 have been sold out since early June. Luckily for you and I, we’ll be able to catch every splash live from our living rooms.
What is it?
The diving is one of the Commonwealth Games’ oldest events. There were four diving events at the original ‘British Empire Games’ of 1930, and diving has featured in every edition of the games since.
Most of us have memories of learning the perfect swan dive at school – and coming up after every attempt with a nose full of water – but the professionals make it look easy.
A dive only lasts a handful of seconds and every phase counts. The starting position, the take-off, and the dive itself all factor into the judging.
Of course, nothing is more crucial than the finish. A belly-flop won’t go down too well. A high level of grace and precision, and a low level of splash, is the ideal.
The diving kicks off on July 30 and runs through till August 2, and features 10 events: men’s and women’s versions of the 1m and 3m springboards and 10m platform individual events, and the 3m springboard and 10m platform synchronised.
The Aussies
The Aussies have some proven winners at the head of the team in 2014, with Melissa Wu and Matthew Mitcham both experienced contenders for the green and gold.
Wu already has Commonwealth gold under her belt, winning the 10m synchronised platform at Delhi 2010. Mitcham managed four silver medals at Dehli 2010, and claimed Olympic gold in the 10m platform at Beijing 2008.
The squad is full of promise. Georgia Sheehan and Anna Gelai will both represent Australia for the first time at senior level, Sheehan at just fifteen years of age.
Grant Nell and Anabelle Smith, bronze medallists at Dehli 2010, are in the squad, as are Emily Boyd and Lara Tarvit, who placed fourth as a synchronised team in last year’s world championships.
The Competition
Australia, England and Canada have dominated the diving for some time now and this looks likely to be the case again in 2014.
The big name for England is 20-year-old Tom Daley, who already has two gold medals from Dehli 2010 in the individual and synchronised 10m platform events.
Canada’s Jennifer Abel won two gold medals at Dehli 2010 in the 1m springboard and 3m synchronised springboard and will lead the Canadian team.
Fast Facts
– Australia first hosted the games at Sydney in 1938. There were four diving events that year and the Aussies won gold in three of them.
– The award for the best name from the Australian squad, in my opinion, goes to 19-year-old Dominic Beddgood. Daniel Goodfellow and Jack Laugher, both of the English team, will contest the award on the international stage.
– Matthew Mitcham may be known for his diving exploits, but in his younger years he travelled in the opposite direction. Mitcham represented Australia as a trampolinist in the 1999 and 2001 World Junior Championships.
– How do you know when you’ve made the big time in Australia? Melissa Wu knew in 2008, when Aussie music legend John Williamson wrote and recorded a song about her, titled “Little Swallow, Baby Wu”.
What to Drink while watching
Since it’s been around since the inception of the Empire Games, what better way to enjoy the diving than a good jug of Pimms and lemonade. Failing that, a nice Earl Grey tea. Top drop that, and both will go well
with the cucumber sandwiches you’ve made to accompany.
This article was first published on the Tenplay website here.