Twenty-two years ago the Fukuoka World Aquatics Championships kickstarted the remarkable international careers of some now household names in the sport.
With the return of the world’s premier aquatics event to the Japanese port city, World Aquatics catches up with some of the teenage stars competing at these championships who may just become the next batch of Fukuoka breakout stars.
Matej Nevescanin (16) & David Ledinski (19) | Diving | Croatia
Fresh from a standout World Junior Diving Championships performance in Canada last year, Croatia’s Matej Nevescanin and David Ledinski have shown every bit of potential to become breakout stars of the world diving scene. The teenage pair, who narrowly missed the Men’s Synchonised 3m Springboard final in Fukuoka on day two of competition, have shown significant growth over the past twelve months as they have developed into one of the world’s leading junior pairs.
Sixteen-year-old Nevescanin was extremely optimistic after Saturday’s preliminary rounds and told World Aquatics that his first two events in Fukuoka had been an incredible introduction to the senior world circuit.
“This is our first big senior competition together and we are really proud of ourselves. We performed really well but there is always room for improvement,” said Nevescanin.
His diving partner, 19-year-old Ledinski, credited their World Junior Diving Championships silver medal as being the catalyst for their rapid rise into the senior ranks.
“The World Junior Diving Championships were amazing and made us want to make an impact on the senior scene,” Ledinski told World Aquatics.
Despite their ages, both teenagers have been diving for more than a decade, Nevescanin falling into diving after trialling a number of other sports without success, while Ledinski transitioned to the sport after three years of gymnastics.
“I started diving ten years ago and while there were some little attempts at other sports, diving was really my first love and I’ve stuck with it,” said Nevescanin.
With a number of major competitions falling within the next twelve months, the boys were quick to tell World Aquatics that post-Fukuoka, it would be back to training as normal.
“Training is pretty much all of our days now and sometimes 5-6 hours per day which is what professional athletes should be doing,” said Nevescanin.
“We will be preparing for Doha and training every day in the hope of securing an Olympic spot,” Ledinski added.
“But we are also very young, so even if Paris isn’t the one, we will do our best to make 2028.”
The pair are competing in the Men’s Synchronized 3m Springboard together, with both also contesting the Men’s 1m Springboard & Men’s 3m Springboard.