A buoyant Ponds Forge crowd cheered on the diving action as Amy Rollinson, Desharne Bent-Ashmeil and Euan McCabe won titles on the second day of the Aquatics GB Diving International 2026.
Saturday’s finals action in Sheffield got underway with a nip and tuck Women’s 3m Synchro contest which saw Desharne Bent-Ashmeil and Amy Rollinson move into the lead with their closing dive to capture the title by just 0.3 points.
A close battle played out between Bent-Ashmeil and Rollinson, fellow British pairing Tilly Brown and Evie Smith, and the Canadian duo of Sonya Palkhivala and Margo Erlam throughout – with all three partnerships laying strong foundations on their opening two required dives.
With the Canadian holding a slender lead following the penultimate dives it was all to play for and up stepped Bent-Ashmeil and Rollinson with their dive of the contest, an Inward 2½ Somersaults Pike (405B) for 63.90 points to just steal in for the win.
Brown and Smith kept close pace to take bronze – notching up 63.00 points for a Back 2 1/2 Somersaults Pike (205B) as their best dive on this occasion.
“I think it’s probably given us both confidence that even though we can’t train loads [together], if we feel confident in our dives, we come together well in synchro,” said Rollinson.
“To have a competition under the belt, having not done any internationally for a while, it’s just so good to get our season going.”
On maintaining their strong partnership, Bent-Ashmeil added:
“It’s a lot about communication, like if we’re looking at any changes when working on our individuals, we just keep that communication open between us and our coaches.”
The Men’s Platform final meanwhile delivered its own fireworks as Euan McCabe and Ben Cutmore went one-two in Sheffield.
It was the third round in which the contest truly came alive as Cutmore’s Armstand Back Double Somersault 1 1/2 Twists (6243D) saw the judges break out a set of nines to count, while McCabe then in return found the upper hand with a sharp Forward 4½ Somersaults Tuck (109C) in the fifth.
Both men finished of their lists well ahead of now turning attentions to joining forces for Sunday’s synchro, with McCabe taking gold on 433.60 points to edge of Cutmore’s tally of 421.85.
Elsewhere Kyle Kothari placed fifth as he practiced elements of his synchro list, while 16-year-old, Robbie Wood took sixth in his home pool.
Giving his reflections after stepping off the podium, McCabe said:
“There’s still a bit of tweaking I can do but overall I’m pretty happy. Ben was applying the pressure and even though I try not to think about it too much it was quite fun to have that competition between us.
“Going to the world championships last summer has definitely made me want to go after it more, it’s made me more committed and I’m excited to see what happens in 2026.”
Closing out the afternoon session, Ross Haslam and Leon Baker capped their synchro debut with a 70-plus scoring Forward 4½ Somersaults Tuck (109C) to seal bronze, while Connor Lano and Todd Geggus developed their experience of senior competition to take fifth in the Men’s 3m Synchro.
“I think it was a good first debut, but there’s lots more left in the tank. I’m really happy still with how we did today,” said Haslam.
“Looking at our list, that last dive was the hardest but also our best dive. That shows there is a lot more to improve on with those easier dives but we’re excited for what we can do together in the future.”
Aquatics GB Diving International competition concludes on Sunday with the Women’s 3m Springboard and Men’s and Women’s Platform Synchro.
Follow Aquatics GB social medial channels for competition updates, with live results on DiveRecorder. Remaining tickets for the Aquatics GB Diving International action can be purchased on the door in Ponds Forge.