BURLEY-in-Wharfedale's Rosie Whiting took her first senior national diving medal at last weekend's ASA Winter National Diving Championships with silver in the women's one metre springboard event.

This superb result means that Rosie is also the ASA National Junior (Under-18) champion.

The 16 year-old pupil at Ilkley Grammar School steadily improved through the rounds from fourth in the preliminaries to second in her semi-final and then a superb second in the final.

Her result is the best by a female Bradford diver in the Senior Nationals in an individual event. Rosie is a member of the City of Bradford Esprit Diving Club.

She recorded a personal best score of 190.40 and was just 9.60 points off qualifying for the British Grand Prix in March.

She finished second to Jane Smith from Sheffield who won the TV Gladiators and is World No 10 in this event.

The following day Rosie added another silver to her collection when she teamed up with Lisa Pobereskin from Plymouth Diving Club in the three metre synchronised event.

They were second by only 0.48 of a point in the closest finish of the championships.

The final event of the weekend was disappointing for Rosie as in her favourite three metre individual event she was placed third going into the final behind Smith and Rebecca Burrows of Leeds.

Her semi-final score was a personal best but in the final a poor second dive left her behind the field and unable to catch up with winner Jane Smith, Gallantree of Branston second and Burrows of Leeds third.

Rosie had a good background in rhythmic gymnastics before moving into the diving world. No doubt her training for that has helped her with her diving.

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