Athens gold medal diver Chantelle Newbery is part of a new-look Australian Diving team for the Games.
Australia’s newest Diving sensation Melissa Wu has become the youngest Commonwealth Games representative in more than two decades, joining a 12-strong Diving team as one of seven new faces at the Games.
Wu, who weighs in at just 28kg and stands 135cm tall, will make her Games debut on the 10m Platform after barnstorming her way past an Olympic and a Commonwealth gold medallist at last week’s Australian Diving Championships.
"I'm really proud of myself and I can't wait," Wu said. "I get really nervous but I'm just going to try to control that and think about what I'm doing rather than how big the competition is."
She and her fellow debut divers will look to the five experienced members of the team for guidance, including a dynamic husband and wife duo, a gold medal winning Games gymnast, and two divers on their third Commonwealth Games team.
Australian Commonwealth Games Association CEO Perry Crosswhite said the team looks in strong shape for Melbourne.
“Our divers were the leading country in Manchester four years ago and they have continued to thrill the nation with their medal winning performances in Athens,” he said.
Robert Newbery, the world 10m Synchronised champion and the winner of four national titles last week, and Commonwealth gold and Olympic bronze medallist Loudy Tourky will be appearing in their third Commonwealth Games.
Robert’s wife Chantelle, who won gold in the 10m Platform in Athens, will add the three-metre Springboard to her repertoire, while Olympic silver medallist Matthew Helm and Olympic, Commonwealth and World Championships bronze medallist Steven Barnett will all be competing in their second Games.
Barnett adds to the team’s family feel by following in the Commonwealth Games footsteps of his mother, Madeline Bolinger, who represented Australia in 1970 and 1974, winning a bronze in the Platform.
Melbourne will mark Barnett’s swansong when he competes in the one and three-metre Springboard events, and also dives for the last time alongside Synchronised partner Robert Newbery in a farewell to the team which won bronze in Athens.
Synchronised Diving makes its debut in Melbourne, and Australia is considered a strong medal chance.
“The inclusion of the Synchronised Diving events at the Commonwealth Games is a spectacular addition to the program and we can expect some strong competition from Canada and England,” said Mr Crosswhite.
Alexandra Croak will also be making her second trip to the Games, and in doing so joins a select group of Australians who have competed at the Commonwealth Games in two different sports.
Croak, who won Gymnastics gold for Australia in the women’s Team All-round and silver in the Individual Vault at the Manchester Games in 2002 will line up next to Wu in Australia’s second 10m Platform Synchronised pair.
Head coach Hui Tong says with such a young squad it’s important to focus on consistency in the lead up to the Games.
"We're always looking for the high quality entry and consistent take-offs," he said. "Consistent take-offs go through to the entry by giving more confidence to finish the dive."
The announcement of the team comes as a relief to emerging star Bree Cole who dominated the three-metre Springboard throughout last year’s international competition, but suffered poor form at last week’s trials to place her Synchronised partnership with Sharleen Stratton in doubt.
But veteran Irena Lashko will miss out on defending her golds in the one metre and three metre Springboard from Manchester after selectors opted not to include the four-time Olympian whose second place in the one-metre event at the trials left her outside the selection criteria.
Australia’s Diving Team includes: Kathryn Blackshaw, Bree Cole, Alexandra Croak, Chantelle Newbery, Sharleen Stratton, Loudy Tourky, Melissa Wu, Steven Barnett, Mathew Helm, Matthew Mitcham, Robert Newbery and Scott Robertson.
Australia’s divers will climb the tower at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre alongside the Commonwealth’s best from 22 – 25 March.
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