Olympic champion Jack Laugher has today been named LEN Male European Diver of the Year for 2018, just reward for a season that saw him win no fewer than five international titles.
Having won this award in 2016, Laugher continues the British stranglehold on the accolade, with GB divers having won this award for the last four years.
Kicking off his year on Australia’s Gold Coast, the springboard diver bagged triple gold at the Commonwealth Games, taking titles in the 1m, 3m and the 3m Synchro, the latter alongside Chris Mears.
At the European Championships on home turf in Scotland, Laugher secured a further two titles, first winning the 1m before adding the 3m later in the week. He also won silver in the 3m Synchro to cap a remarkable year.
The award also follows on from Laugher being named Diving Athlete of the Year and overall British Swimming Athlete of the Year at the annual British Swimming Awards in November.
Of the award, Laugher said:
“It’s a huge honour to be crowned Male European Diver of the Year for the second time and this award really does mean a lot. This award is the culmination of a lot of hard work, not just last year but throughout my career and I’m really proud to be part of such a golden era for British diving.
“2018 was amazing, but I’m not resting on my laurels as 2019 is a big year, with the World Championships in South Korea and that all important qualification for Tokyo 2020.”
LEN President Paolo Barelli, added:
“European athletes enjoyed another outstanding year and offered superb performances wherever they competed. For European Aquatics certainly the European Championships were the absolute highlights of the year and the results achieved in Glasgow had a big impact on our prestigious awards. Let me congratulate all winners and all the others appearing on the shortlists, they deserve every credit for their determination and excellence.”
Elsewhere Adam Peaty was a very close runner-up in the Male Swimmer of the Year category, missing out to Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov, having been victorious in both 2016 and 2017.