Cheng claims first senior individual national title in dramatic circumstances

Eden Cheng edged a dramatic women's 10m Platform final at Ponds Forge in the British Diving Championships on Saturday. Cheng, 19, won her first senior national gold after the top five were only narrowly separated going into the final round. Ad/> But the 2018 European Champion in the Synchro event scored 75.20 to narrowly edge out Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix by just 0.25 points, 318.75 and 318.50 the final scores of the top two on the podium respectively.

Tokyo 2020Team GB diving coach Jenkins dies aged 3112/10/2021 AT 17:06 Lois Toulson, who won European synchro gold with Cheng in 2018, rounded off the podium after scoring consistently through all five rounds, finishing with a score of 313.50. Cheng, who burst onto the diving scene with her continental title at the age of just 15, felt the win demonstrated the fighting spirit she has shown in recent years. «It was a bit up-and-down, a bit of a rollercoaster ride,» said the new national champion.

«It didn't go so well at the start, but I brought it back and fought on. »I feel great, because it shows I have inner fight, that's what I've been looking for and that's what I've been lacking for the last couple of years in individual, so it's really good. «It's really about perseverance and motivation, that's what we have to do as elite athletes — we know there is a prelim and then a final, so it is working on that reset button that we need to master.

I feel like that went well for me. It was a tough contest, though. »Coming just ahead of Andrea, the fact that it was one-two for us and we are a synchro pair, it's exciting to see what we can do.