POSTED: Monday June 11th 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DIVERS JOIN TEAM GB FOR LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has announced today 12 athletes officially selected to represent Team GB in the sport of diving at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The squad includes 2009 World Champion and 2010 double Commonwealth Games Champion Tom Daley, 18, who is selected for his second Olympics to compete in both the men’s 10m individual competition, and together with Peter Waterfield, in the men’s 10m synchronised event.

Waterfield is the most experienced British diver selected and will compete in his fourth consecutive Olympics. At the Athens 2004 Games he won Team GB’s first diving medal since 1960 alongside Leon Taylor in the 10m synchronised event.

Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow will go into London 2012 full of confidence in the women’s 10m synchronised event after making history by becoming Britain’s first women’s European Diving Champions in Eindhoven last month.

Nick Robinson-Baker and Chris Mears are selected in the men’s 3m synchronised event after claiming their third consecutive men's 3m synchro title at the British Championships, which took place in Sheffield this weekend.

One of the youngest members of the squad is Jack Laugher, 17, who demonstrated his potential by winning the British men’s 3m springboard title on Saturday and Stacie Powell helped to secure her place on Team GB with victory in the women’s 10m individual event.

The divers selected to Team GB today are:

Tom Daley - 10M Individual and 10M Synchronised
Peter Waterfield - 10M Individual and 10M Synchronised
Chris Mears - 3M Individual and 3M synchronised
Nick Robinson-Baker - 3M Synchronised
Jack Laugher - 3M individual
Alicia Blagg - 3M Synchronised
Rebecca Gallantree - 3M Synchronised
Hannah Starling - 3M Individual
Tonia Couch - 10M Synchronised
Sarah Barrow - 10M Synchronised
Stacie Powell - 10M Individual
Monique Gladding - 10M Individual
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The addition of the 12 divers brings the total number of athletes officially selected to compete for Team GB at London 2012 to 207 across 18 sport disciplines: archery, athletics - marathon, badminton, boxing, canoe slalom, diving, fencing, hockey, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, synchronised swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon and weightlifting.

The athletes were formally nominated to the BOA for selection to Team GB by British Swimming, the National Governing Body for all aquatics disciplines in the UK.

Team GB Chef de Mission Andy Hunt said:

“British divers have recorded many exceptional results over the past four years since the last Olympic Games in Beijing and I believe the thousands of fans who will fill the fantastic London 2012 Aquatics Centre will experience some great competition this summer.

“As one of the best known faces of Team GB, Tom Daley has created a great deal of interest and excitement in diving and I am confident that the performances of all the athletes in the team will help to inspire many more people to become involved with diving and leave a lasting legacy for the sport.”

“We are delighted to welcome this talented group of divers to Team GB on the day that the number of athletes selected to Our Greatest Team passes the 200 mark.”

Team GB Diving Head Coach Alexei Evangulov said:

“I am really pleased to see a strong set of athletes that have today been selected on to Team GB. We have a good mix of youth and experience on the squad with half of the athletes going to their first Olympics.

"To compete at a home Olympics is a special experience and I think that the divers will get a boost from the home crowd support.

"The results of the British Championships 2012 have impressed me greatly. I have never seen such a high quality of diving at the National competition. I am pleased to say that I am also proud of our coaches who have been so motivated. They approached this event with highest level of professionalism.

"We have also had some excellent results this year with one of our most successful showings at a FINA World Series and European Championships with medals coming in more than one event showing the depth we have within our squad.”

Tom Daley said:

“I am really excited to be part of Team GB for the London 2012 Olympics. To be able to say that I will be competing in front of that home crowd is amazing.

“I can’t wait to see the home crowd. There’ll be 17,500 people all behind us wanting us to do well and I can’t wait to hear the noise they’ll make.

“A home Games is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I really can’t wait to get onto those boards at the Aquatics Centre again.”

Tonia Couch said:

“This year has been really good for Sarah and I, we are World Cup bronze medallists and European Champions and now we are both part of Team GB for London.
“I remember Beijing so well and that was an amazing experience but I think London will top that for me. It was so loud every time the Chinese divers came out and I know it will be just as loud for us in London. The home crowd will really spur all of us on.”

Jack Laugher said:

“To be going to my first Olympics which will be a home Games is something I could only have dreamt of and now I am on the team list I am really excited.

“Competing at the World Championships and the World Cup in this last year was great for increasing my experience and I think that helped me keep my cool at the trial event this week.

“A home Olympics is something I will remember for the rest of my life and I just want to go out there and try my hardest and enjoy every moment of it.”

Monique Gladding said:

“I am really over the moon to be part of Team GB. It is going to be such an honour to represent Great Britain at a home Olympics.

“Since the disappointment of not making the Beijing team I have had many ups and downs to get to today’s announcement. I was making real headway until Feb 2011 and then I had my accident which threw me yet another curve ball. It has taken a lot but I am now fully back, ready and excited to put on my Team GB Tracksuit. I really can't wait to be back on the boards in London competing in front of an amazing home crowd. It really is a dream come true."

Notes to Editors:

With today’s announcement, 207 athletes from 18 sport disciplines have so far been selected to compete for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Team GB will compete in all 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London 2012.
Team GB is expected to consist of approximately 550 athletes.
The diving competition takes place from 29th July to 11th August at the Olympic Park Aquatics Centre.
The men and women’s synchronised diving events were added to the Olympic Programme in Sydney 2000, adding a new interpretation to the classic event.
Great Britain have won six Olympic medals in diving to date, two silver and four bronze.
For interview requests with GB Divers and performance personnel contact British Swimming Press Officer Gemma Field on 07917726431 / gemma.field@swimming.org. For further information on Team GB please contact BOA Communications Manager Phil Wilkinson on 07525 951067 / philip.wilkinson@teamgb.com.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Its mission is to transform British lives through the power of the Olympic values and the success of Team GB. The BOA’s role is to prepare the ‘Best of British’ athletes for, and lead them at, the summer, winter and youth Olympic Games. The BOA delivers extensive support services to Britain’s Olympic athletes and their National Governing Bodies to enhance Olympic success and is responsible for championing the Olympic values and brand in the UK. The BOA receives no funding from the lottery or government, has no political interests and is completely dependent upon fundraising income to achieve its mission. The BOA is the strong, independent voice for British Olympic Sport.

British Swimming is the National Governing Body for swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, water polo and open water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport.

The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (ASA), Scotland (Scottish Swimming) and Wales (Swim Wales).

British Swimming seeks to enable it athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

About Team 2012:

Team 2012, presented by Visa, is the official support programme for British athletes striving to be selected for Team GB and ParalympicsGB in 2012.

Alongside National Lottery and Exchequer funding, Team 2012 helps to raise funds to support 1,200 athletes from 47 Olympic and Paralympic sports and disciplines who are in training to be selected for Team GB and ParalympicsGB at London 2012. Funds raised are invested in six key areas across 47 different Olympic and Paralympic sporting disciplines:

Coaching and athlete management
International travel to both compete and train abroad
Medical support including sports psychology, physiotherapy, nutrition and intensive rehabilitation
Facilities
Kit and equipment
Home Games preparations e.g. preparation camps
For more information on Team 2012, visit http://www.team-2012.com

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Keywords · British Olympic Association · divers · BOA

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Name: British Olympic Association Communications Team
Organization: British Olympic Association
Email:
Phone: 442078425700
URL: http://www.olympics.org.uk

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