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Jack Laugher
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Grace Cullen 11 October 2012
Diving: Olympic bronze medallist Tom Daley and Jack Laugher became Junior World Champions at the Junior World Diving Championships in Adelaide.
Laugher, who also won two junior world titles in 2010, topped 90 points for two of his dives in the Group A 3m Springboard final to claim gold by more than 56 points on 635.45.
The following day, Laugher teamed up with Daley, competing for the first time since claiming bronze at London 2012, to triumph in the 3m Springboard Synchro event. The British duo won with a score of 338.85, beating their nearest rivals, Ilia Kuzmin and Maxim Popkov of Russia, by over 30 points.
Laugher also claimed a silver medal in the 1m Springboard, while Hannah Starling and Alicia Blagg won silver in the 3m Springboard Synchro event. Earlier Starling won bronze in the 3m Springboard, Britain’s first ever World Junior medal in the Girls A Springboard category.
The event is ongoing until 13 October.
Canoeing: Go Canoeing, a nationwide initiative run by Canoe England, have arranged a series of Guided Tours running throughout October, November and into December across the country to encourage people to enjoy canoeing all year round.
The Go Canoeing Guided Tour prices start from £18 for adults and £14 for children, with a maximum number of 12 participants per tour. There are tours running throughout the half term holiday as well as themed tours for Halloween and Bonfire Night. See the website for more information.
Cycling: Sky and British Cycling today announced that they have beaten their goal of getting one million more Britons on their bikes and cycling regularly by 2013. The ambitious five-year target was set in 2008, when Sky first linked up with British Cycling, as a way of measuring the success of a partnership that has aimed to grow the sport at all levels, from the grassroots to the elite.
Sky and British Cycling have encouraged more people to take part in cycling by establishing a series of popular, large-scale city centre rides and weekly local rides, and by supporting the sport at the highest level. This has culminated in the most successful year ever for British cyclists: six World Track Championship titles; the first British winner of the Tour de France; and a record Olympic and Paralympic medal haul of 16 gold medals. The success of the elite cyclists has played a crucial role in inspiring more people of all ages and abilities to get on their bikes for fun and fitness.
Sir Chris Hoy, Britain’s most successful ever Olympian said: "It has been an incredible summer for cycling and it's fantastic to see so many people enjoying riding their bikes and loving the sport. There are so many opportunities to cycle wherever you live and it's clear that Britain is now a true cycling nation."
Sailing: Olympic champion Ben Ainslie and his crew on JP Morgan BAR finished second overall in the America’s Cup World Series in San Francisco.
In only his second ACWS event, Ainslie and his crew dominated the three days of racing with a string of podium positions. But in the final race, Ainslie conceded a penalty and ended up in fourth position, while James Spithill, skipper of Oracle Team USA crossed the line first, putting him level on points with Ainslie but handing him the championship by virtue of his better result in that last race.
Wheelchair Tennis: There will be British representation in all three divisions at the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters for the first time in the tournament's history, following the ITF’s announcement of entries.
Gordon Reid, Lucy Shuker and Andy Lapthorne have qualified for the men's, women's and quad events respectively at the year-end singles event to be held in Mechelen, Belgium from November 7-11.
British No.1 Reid has risen to a career high world No. 8 this week to take the final qualification spot in the elite men's field while Shuker has moved up to No. 7 in the rankings and qualifies for the prestigious event for the third time since 2008.
London 2012 doubles silver medallist Andy Lapthorne, who was runner-up on his debut at the NEC Masters in 2011, is the current world No.4 and has guaranteed his place in the draw of four for the quad division. His doubles partner Peter Norfolk also qualified for the event but is unable to compete due to injury.
