Young diver Evan Cooper (Year 7) has added to his already impressive list of sporting achievements a silver and a bronze medal at the prestigious Irish International Diving Championships last week.

Evan scooped a silver medal in the 3m event, missing out on gold by just one point, and he won a bronze medal in the platform (5, 7.5 and 10m) event.  In the 1m event, Evan just missed out on a podium finish with fourth place.

This is the latest in a series of major successes for Evan, who is a member of Darlington Diving Club.  He has gained podium positions at both the Scottish and Irish National Championships in diving, as well as securing top-ten finishes in all regional- and national-level diving competitions.  For the last three years, Evan has successfully defended his status as Northumberland and Durham diving champion, and he is the current Northumberland and Durham diver of the year.  After a tough selection process to represent the North, he secured a silver medal in the English Schools Diving Championships.  

Although Evan took the plunge into diving at age six, he started his sports career as an acrobatic gymnast, twice becoming the British champion.  And his diving training schedule, involving six hours’ practice per week, is supplemented by 14 hours of elite trampolining.  Evan has also tasted success in elite-level trampolining, both regionally and nationally.

Next on the calendar will be the North-East Regional Diving Championships in January, followed closely by Scottish National Championships. 

Ambitious Evan already has his sights set on Olympic glory!  He is certainly on the right path, and we wish him every success as he works hard to achieve his dream.