Four Sheffield divers set for World Aquatics Junior Championships
The World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships takes place in Rijeka, Croatia, from 21st to 28th August
Four junior divers from Sheffield have been selected to represent Aquatics GB at this summer's World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships, taking place in Rijeka, Croatia, from 21st to 28th August 2026. These four make up more than a third of the full 11-strong GB team heading to the competition.
The four - Archie Biggin (18), Robbie Wood (16), Simeon Greig (16) and Willow Kesteven-McGrath (13) - are all coached by Georgia Davenport in her elite squad. This is a unique situation where four divers from one club, all coached by the same coach, have been selected for this major international competition.
The three boys have each balanced a full training schedule of 16 hours a week alongside their exams. Archie has just completed his A-Levels, while Robbie and Simeon have both been sitting their GCSEs.
All four are part of the Elite Diving Squad at City of Sheffield Diving Club, based at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, and have dedicated years of year-round training to reach this level.
Sheffield is also home to one of only two GB Diving Performance Centres in the country (London being the other), meaning these young divers - and their teammates - train at the same venue as a host of their idols. Olympians Jack Laugher, Anthony Harding, Jordan Houlden, Yasmin Harper and Lois Toulson, alongside a senior squad with European and World experience, finals and medals between them, are a daily and constant inspiration to the next generation of diving talent.
Each of the four has faced a long and testing competition calendar to reach this point. From December, they competed at regional events to secure the scores needed to represent City of Sheffield at the Aquatics GB Next Gen Diving Championships in Edinburgh over Easter. All four medalled there, earning selection to represent GB at the European Aquatics Junior Diving Championships in Budapest. Top six finishes on their respective boards then secured their selection for the biggest event in junior diving - the 2024 Junior Worlds saw 209 divers from 42 nations compete.
Credit also goes to coach Georgia Davenport for her hard work, meticulous planning, and dedication while creating a culture of hard work to equip all her athletes with the physical and mental resilience they need to compete in diving.