Australia’s Lacey Hema owned the 12-meter tower in the girls' 15-16-year-old division, securing her title. Meanwhile, the competitions for the 17-19-year-old were cut short, leading to Chinese athletes Zhenyu Ge and Hao Li being crowned based on two-round results at the World Aquatics High Diving Junior Championships in Brasilia, Brazil. Dive into the results from the contest below.
Girls’ 12m (Age 15-16)
Lacey Hema of Australia achieved a historic win in Brasilia, where she became the first high diving junior world champion in her age group. Dominating each of the four rounds on the 12-meter platform, Hema held her lead distancing herself significantly with a 34.40-point advantage over Canada’s Kelly-Ann Tessier, who, with a strong final dive, managed to leap ahead of fellow Canadian Fiona Keilly to claim silver. Keilly took home the bronze in the competition which included just three high divers, allowing each athlete a place on the podium.
Unforeseen circumstances led to the cancellation of the remaining two rounds in the 17-19-year-old divisions. The decision was made to finalise rankings based on the performances of the first two rounds, officially crowning Zhenyu Ge and Hao Li as the champions of their respective event. This decision ensured that athletes’ hard-fought achievements were recognised and celebrated despite the abbreviated competition.
Girls’ 15m (Age 17-19) – Final results after two dive rounds
In the girls' 15-meter competition for 17-19-year-olds, Chinese high diver Ge delivered two powerful rounds, narrowly edging out U.S. competitor Maya Kelly. Ge’s performance earned her a lead of just 2.95 points over Kelly, who captured silver while Australia’s Stella Forsyth holds third after a thrilling contest.
Boys’ 15m (Age 17-19) – Final results after two dive rounds
The boys’ 15-meter event for 17-19-year-olds, with only 2.65 points separating the top three divers. China’s Li claimed first place after two rounds, pulling ahead by a 1.40-point over Brazil’s Rafael Borges who competed early this year in 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events at the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024. Canada’s Alex Tiaglei won third place just 1.25 points behind Borges.
With these results, the Junior Championships highlighted the next generation of high diving talent from around the globe, signalling a promising future for the sport.
“With the World Aquatics High Diving Junior Championships, we have the future of our sport. I am pleased with the level of competition; it shows that high diving will be in good hands in the future. I look forward to seeing these junior athletes continue to develop in our sport.”