This year’s nominees for the Women’s Diver of the Year at the European Aquatics Awards represent the pinnacle of excellence in the sport. From dazzling performances at the Paris Olympics to podium finishes at the World Aquatics and European Championships, these athletes have consistently raised the bar for competitive diving. Here’s a closer look at their achievements and the events that shaped their extraordinary performances in one of the busiest years for the sport.
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix has had a stellar year, demonstrating her prowess on the international stage with medal-winning performances at the highest levels of competition. At the Paris Olympics, she secured a bronze medal in the 10m synchro event alongside her compatriot Lois Toulson. The British duo’s impressive score of 304.38 was built on consistent execution, particularly in their final dive, which saw them leapfrog the Canadians and take their first ever Olympic medals.
Spendolini-Sirieix also competed in the women’s individual 10m platform event, where she placed sixth in the finals – bettering her seventh-place finish from the Tokyo Olympic Games. Throughout the competition, her technical precision and mental focus shone through as she successfully completed a series of high-difficulty dives In one of the most stacked fields in recent memory. This placed her behind some of the most dominant divers in the world, including gold medallist Quan Hongchan and her compatriot Chen Yuxi, who took silver.
Spendolini-Sirieix’s success extended beyond the Olympics to the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, where she had added two bronze medals to her collection. She claimed one in the individual 10m platform, scoring consistently in a tight contest that saw China once again dominate the top two positions. Her second bronze came in the 10 synchro, again with Toulson as they fine tuned their preparations for the summer Games.
Perhaps more importantly, she was also a part of the Great Britain team that took gold in the Team Event, along with Tom Daley, Scarlett Mew Jensen, and Daniel Goodfellow – the country’s first world title in diving since 2017.
Spendolini-Sirieix’s partner Toulson is also one of the nominees for the award, with a comprehensive year of her own. Her partnership with Spendolini-Sirieix was one of the highlights of the year – their aforementioned prowess earning them an Olympic bronze in Paris, as well as their synchro success at world level in Doha.
On top of contributing to Great Britain’s stunning series of results throughout the year, Toulson also made the semifinals of the Olympic 10m platform, where she just missed out on the final – placing 13th.
Another Brit to have made waves in the diving pool in 2024 was Mew Jensen as she consistently showed her talent in both individual and synchro events.
At the Paris Olympics she paired with Yasmin Harper to win bronze in the women’s 3m synchro. The pair were amongst the standout performers behind the Chinese pairing, as they produced two 70+ scores in their final two dives to seal the bronze – edging out Italy for the final podium position. They were sixth with two dives to go and fourth before the final dive but an excellent final effort moved them into third.
Competing at her second Olympics, Mew Jensen had sustained a partial fracture in her back just three months earlier which limited her to just a month’s preparation. She and Harper became the first British women in 64 years to win an Olympic diving medal, and the first ever in synchro competition.
Mew Jensen’s individual performances at the World Aquatics Championships were equally noteworthy. She earned a bronze medal in the women’s 3m synchro, again with Harper, in a closely contested final that saw them just edge out the American pair. Her trademark precision on high-difficulty dives demonstrated her technical growth and competitive maturity.
Italy’s Chiara Pellacani continued to establish herself as one of Europe’s premier divers with a series of remarkable performances. At the Paris Olympics she narrowly missed the podium in the synchronized 3m springboard event, finishing fourth alongside Elena Bertocchi as a result of that strong showing by Harper and Mew Jensen. It was still particularly impressive, though, as the pairing more than held their own in what was a volatile field with each passing round.
Her resilience paid off at the World Aquatics Championships, where she won silver in the mixed 3m synchro event with Matteo Santoro. With the event typically proving testing as the pairings are often less experienced together, they showcased their synchronicity and technical mastery to beat strong pairings from South Korea, Mexico and Great Britain.
Individually, she also came close to the podium at Olympic level – showing remarkable consistency with her final four dives in the final of the 3m springboard all being within three points of each other, as she battled the Chinese and Australian athletes on her way to a fourth-place finish by less than ten points.
Ana Carvajal emerged as a rising star in European diving this year. While her 14th-place finish in the women’s individual 10m platform event at the Paris Olympics may not have captured headlines, it was a significant step in her development as a top-tier competitor.
The Spaniard’s performance earlier in the year at synchro level in the World Championships also showed signs of her being a rising star for the country – as she made the final of the mixed 10m synchro event with compatriot Max Linan. She also took part in the women’s 10m synchro as she looked to build her experience in senior competition.
Her breakthrough came at the European Aquatics Championships, where she claimed gold in the 10m platform. Her consistent performance across all rounds earned her a winning score ahead of a number of athletes with more experience than her – showcasing the potential she has for the future. She also secured silver in the 10m synchro, partnering with teammate Valeria Antolino to help contribute to one of Spain’s best years of diving in recent memory.
She rounded off the year with a fourth-place finish in the 10m platform at the World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships 2024 in Brazil – setting her up for a year of more opportunities in 2025.
All European aquatics fans are invited to vote ahead of the competition deadline of 23:59 CET on December 31.
You can find the lists of nominees here.
To cast your vote please select the image of the athlete you wish to support – you will have one vote per discipline in each category.
The 12 winners are set to be revealed in January on European Aquatics website and social media channels.
