Diving boy qualifies for national competition

A BOY from Sonning Common Primary School is to represent his school at a national diving competition.

Thomas Oxlade, 10, came second in the divisional qualifiers for the English Schools Diving Championships in Guildford earlier this month.

Now he will compete at the finals in Manchester in December.

Thomas competed in the year 5 and year 6 categories, performing four dives from a 1m springboard.

His dives were a tuck, inward dive, back tuck and front one-and-a-half dive. He finished just 1.2 points off first place.

Thomas, who trains with Albatross Diving Club in Reading, said: “I was a kind of nervous because I was competing for my school and not for myself.”

His mother Wendy, who runs the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Playhatch with his father Alan, said: “He did some really neat dives and we are very proud.”

Thomas has been diving since he was six and will be one of five divers from his diving club who will compete in Manchester.

He will also attend his first international competition in Dublin just before the schools finals.

Mrs Oxlade said: “They are so close together, I need to make sure he doesn’t get ill.”

Thomas’s parents first noticed his interest in diving while watching him somersault into a swimming pool while on a family holiday on the Isle of Wight.

He trains three times a week, twice at the Abbey School in Reading and once in either Hemel Hempstead or Southampton.

Thomas recently started synchronised diving, which he enjoys.

“I have a partner called Sam who is a tiny bit older than me but the same height. Synchro is a bit harder as you are constantly looking across to make sure you are the same.”

His inspirations include Canadian diver Molly Carlson and Australian diver Sam Friker who he enjoys watching dive on Instagram.

Thomas said: “If I had more followers I’d be under more pressure to get the dives correct. It would make me much more focused. I don’t necessarily like being under pressure but I think I need it to become an Olympic diver.”

Thomas will also attend his first international competition in Ireland in Dublin in early December just before the English Schools Finals.