The World Aquatics Championships represents the last stop on the road to Paris for Australia’s synchronised divers with four Aussie pairings chasing a quota for their country when competition begins in Doha on Friday. 

The Australian Diving Team has already secured six of a maximum eight individual quota positions available to each country through results achieved at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships and 2023 Oceania Championships.

As well as the Men’s and Women’s 3-Metre and 10-Metre synchronised events, quotas remain available to Australia in the Women’s 10-Metre Platform (x1) and Men’s 3-Metre Springboard (x1).

After a long hiatus, Australia’s number one pairing in the Women’s 3-Metre Synchronised – Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney – are back and excited to show the world what they can do.

The Rio bronze medal winning pair have each suffered injury setbacks of-late, but Keeney said that was all in the rear-view mirror.

“We’ve been diving together for 10 years now. It’s kind of like riding a bike you’ve just got to get back out there again,” Keeney said. 

“I know Belle would never hold anything against me and I’ll never hold anything against her. Having that relationship allows you to go for it.

“We’re there supporting each other, and we’ve been through rough times,” Keeney said. 

The significance of earning Australia an Olympic quota position has only recently hit Keeney and even though she and Smith have been diving together for 10 years, this meet offers a first.

“Even with Rio, Belle and I weren’t the ones to win the quota. We’ve never really been in the position where the spot is on the line,” Keeney said.

“All the people who haven’t qualified are all in the same situation so you’ve just got to prepare for that before you get to the event. It’s nerve wracking but we’ve been training for this and we’re confident we can get the performance we need,” she said.  

So significant is the World Aquatics Championships to Australia’s synchronised divers that World Champion Cassiel Rousseau will not compete in the Men’s 10-Metre Platform.

Rousseau has opted to focus his preparations on the synchronised event, where he will compete alongside diving partner Domonic Bedggood.

“Dom and I have a great relationship and I really hope that we can go to Doha and secure Australia the quota in the 10-Metre synchronised,” Rousseau said.

“With Dom based in Melbourne and me in Brisbane, we were spending time in each-other’s training environments to make sure our preparations are the best they can be.

“In diving, most of the time we train and compete on our own. The synchro events allow us to compete as a team and getting the opportunity to experience that feeling at an Olympic Games would be unreal,” Rousseau said.

In other team changes, Olympic medallist Melissa Wu will now partner with Tokyo Olympian Nikita Hains who is taking the place of Charli Petrov in Australia’s Women’s 10-Metre Synchronised team. 

Performance Director Steve Foley said the decision would allow Petrov the chance to thrive in the sport long-term.  

“Charli was selected in the team in December under the provision that she would need to pass a fitness test before being eligible to compete in Doha,” Foley said.

“We gave Charli every chance to be competition ready, but ultimately time got the better of her. She’s come a long way in training in recent weeks, but her career is only beginning and we need to protect that.

“We’re very lucky to have someone like Nikita ready to step into Charli’s position. Nikita has big competition experience and she and Mel train in the same pool everyday under NSWIS Head Coach Chava Sobrino. We look forward to seeing what this pair can do,” Foley said.  

The Australian Diving Team has now arrived in Doha after a five-day staging camp in Dubai that was funded with the support of the AIS.

“Thanks to the Australian Government – through the AIS and Australian Sports Commission – we were able to provide our synchronised divers with a five-day intensive camp to support their preparations for this crucial event. We are grateful to the AIS for backing our divers and giving them the best chance of success in Doha,” Foley concluded.

AUSTRALIAN DIVING TEAM, 2024 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

MEN:

Shixin Li – 1-Metre & 3-Metre Springboard

Kurtis Mathews – 1-Metre Springboard, 3-Metre Springboard & 3-Metre Springboard Synchronised

Sam Fricker – 3-Metre Springboard Synchronised

Cassiel Rousseau – 10-Metre Platform Synchronised

Domonic Bedggood – 10-Metre Platform Synchronised

Jaxon Bowshire – 10-Metre Platform

WOMEN:

Maddison Keeney – 3-Metre Springboard & 3m Springboard Synchro

Anabelle Smith – 3-Metre Springboard Synchronised

Alysha Koloi – 1-Metre & 3-Metre Springboard

Nikita Hains – 10-Metre & 10-Metre Synchronised

Melissa Wu – 10-Metre & 10-Metre Synchronised

Brittany O’Brien – 1-Metre Springboard

Australia's Olympic quotas in Diving, explained...

Australia will aim to qualify synchronised teams in the Men's and Women's 3-Metre Springboard events and Men's and Women's Platform events. Australia is still eligible to qualify one position in the Women's 10-Metre Platform and one position in the Men's 3-Metre Springboard. 

There are only eight quotas on offer in each of the four synchronised events and half have already been allocated by virtue of results achieved at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.

From results achieved at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships and 2023 Oceania Championships, Australia has qualified quotas by country in the Women's 3-Metre Springboard (x2), Men's 10-Metre Platform (x2), Women's 3-Metre Springboard (x1) and Men's 3-Metre Springboard (x1). 

The 12 highest placed athletes in 3-Metre Springboard and 10-Metre Platform Individual events, who have not previously earned a quota for their country, at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, will secure one quota for their nation.

HIGH DIVING

A record five Australians will compete off the 20-Metre Platform at the World Aquatics Championships and for the first time Australia will have entries in the men’s event through Zac Picton and Chris Bednar.

The current World High Diving Champion in the women’s event, Rhiannan Iffland, will be aiming to make it four world championship titles in a row and brings form to the event having just won her seventh Red Bull Cliff Diving Series in Auckland at the weekend. If the results there are to be repeated, Australia could occupy two positions on the podium through Xantheia Pennisi who finished second behind Iffland. Australia’s third entry in the women’s event is Emily Chinnock who stepped up to the 20-Metre platform a mere eight months ago and was impressive in Auckland finishing eighth off a wildcard entry.

Rhiannan Iffland – Women’s 20-Metre

Xantheia Pennisi – Women’s 20-Metre

Emily Chinnock – Women’s 20-Metre

Zac Picton – Men’s 27-Metre

Chris Bednar – Men’s 27-Metre