Four Singaporean divers have qualified for November's Fina World Junior Diving Championships after their performances over the weekend in the 7th Singapore National Diving Championships.
SEA Games 10m platform bronze medallist Freida Lim and synchronised 3m springboard silver winner Ashlee Tan have earned their tickets to Kazan. Joining them are Joshua Chong and Lee Yi.
The highest number of participants Singapore ever fielded in the world juniors was five, back in 2012.
Freida said: "My main goal for these nationals was to perform at my best in the open platform events and for the age-group event, (and) to make the world juniors.
"When I qualified for Kazan, I was pretty happy and quite stoked on having achieved my goal. I'm also glad my team-mates made it too. We'll be going as a team and I won't be there alone - it's a big boost."
The 18-year-old won her third gold in the two-day event yesterday after she won (289.80) the Fina open women's platform category. Freida qualified for the world juniors when she won the women's individual age group A platform (391.0) on Saturday.
She also won the women's individual age group A platform and the individual age A girls' 1m springboard event (340.55), ahead of Ashlee (331.70), who also won the bronze (219.70) in the women's open 3m springboard.
Lee Yi won his second bronze (258.15) in the Fina open men's platform category yesterday. He finished third (342.90) in the individual age group B boys' event on Saturday.
National diving coach Shannon Roy was ecstatic over his divers' haul of four golds, three silvers and four bronzes. The Australian said: "I'm even more encouraged now than I was when I first walked in.
"The major step (nationals) has just happened. It's going to be a catalyst for the belief and growth for (the divers') confidence. I want to keep that momentum going and show them that they can achieve."
Freida and twins Mark and Timothy Lee also qualified for the SEA Games next year during the nationals.
The brothers, who are currently doing national service, were competing for the first time since their silver-medal effort in the synchronised 3m springboard event at last year's SEA Games and won gold in the same event yesterday.
Correction note: An earlier version of the story stated that Ashlee Tan qualified for the SEA Games next year during the nationals, this is incorrect. She has only qualified for November's Fina World Junior Diving Championships.
