Andrea Barnaba won gold at the FINA World Junior High Diving Invitational with victory in the landmark 15m event on the final day of Montreal 2022 in Canada.
The Italian led after his opening two routines on Saturday and maintained that advantage over his 17-19-year-old rivals during the final two rounds on Sunday.
It was the first time in history that a high diving competition has been incorporated into a Fina World Junior Diving Championships and it comes just months after the sport made a senior European Championship debut at Roma 2022.
Barnaba, who was ninth in Italy this summer, was joined on the history-making podium in Canada by Ukraine’s Stepan Movchan, who climbed from fifth on day one, to place second overall. Home favourite Carter Baker was third.
In the boy’s 12m event – for 14-16-year-olds Britain’s Archie Biggin, who LEN profiled ahead of the event, climbed from fourth after the first day to finish an impressive second.
The event was won by home-favourite Charles-Antoine Labadie, with Hugo Rodriguez Gonzalbes of Spain third.
Another European athlete who secured a podium finish on the final day of the competition was Britain’s Robbie Lee.
He claimed bronze in the Group A (16-18-year-old) 10m platform final, which was part of the official Fina World Junior Diving Championships and added to the silver medal he claimed alongside Euan McCabe in the synchronised 10m event earlier in the week.
Canadian Matt Cullen (542.00) won the individual event, ahead of Diogo Silva (520.95) of Brazil, with Lee (509.10) taking third.
“I’ve learned how to keep myself to myself, not watch other people’s dives and only thinking about my own dives,” revealed Lee. “Now I’ll relax, pack and I think there’s a party later.”
For a full round-up of the results from the 2022 Fina World Junior Diving Championships in Montreal, Canada, visit the tournament website.
