World Aquatics Championships: Temporary venue in Sentosa to host some events
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Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Australian diver Maddison Keeney claims women's 1m springboard gold at World Aquatics C'ships, China take mixed team gold
Maddison Keeney of Australia in action during the women's 1m springboard finals at the OCBC Aquatic Arena on July 26, 2025. SINGAPORE – As Maddison Keeney prepared to take her last dive in the women's 1m springboard final at the World Aquatics Championships on July 26, the memory of a botched dive at the 2015 edition came up in her mind. Back then in Kazan, Russia, nerves got the better of her and she fell off the board, earning zero points as a podium finish slipped from her grasp and she plummeted to the bottom of the 12-diver field. This time, however, Keeney was amused, not mortified at the memory. Unfazed, the 29-year-old delivered her final dive, a forward two and a half somersaults with one twist in the pike position to earn 72 points, bringing her total to 308.00 to secure her second world title in the event after her 2017 victory. China's Li Yajie (290.25) and Italy's Chiara Pellacani (270.80) placed second and third respectively at the OCBC Arena. Singapore's Ashlee Tan (196.85) and Fong Kay Yian (184.35) finished 40th and 45th. Keeney said: 'I actually did think about it and I laughed a bit to myself because in the past, that would have really affected me mentally, making me think about other things, getting nervous about whether I might fall off again. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar 'I've got a lot of experience now and I know that things happen in diving, so if it happens, it happens, and all I can do is just do my best.' Starting her championships campaign with a win has given her a boost ahead of her other events in Singapore: the women's 3m synchronised, 3m springboard and mixed 3m synchronised. On the expectations, she said: 'It was more from me because I know that with the high level of difficulty in my dives, I have the potential to win more easily than others. 'So it's really good practice for me to compete with that external expectation, with everyone thinking that I can do it. 'It's also really good practice for my 3m event, which is my main event, so I'm really grateful for having the opportunity to put myself in a difficult position under a lot of pressure and still perform well.' With four titles at the world championships, including the mixed 3m synchronised titles in 2019 and 2024, Keeney has contributed to half of Australia's gold medals at the world meet. Yet she insists that she is just a regular person who has managed to achieve significant sporting success. Outside of diving, she has a full-time job as a mining technician specialist at BHP, working five days a week – two days in the office and three from home. She said: 'We've always had (Olympic medallist) Melissa Wu, up until she retired last year, she was always a really big face for diving in Australia. Even though I've had a lot of success, I haven't really promoted myself on social media as much as she did. 'To be a figurehead for Australian athletes, I'm really happy to be in that role and to be a role model for others. I just feel like a normal person – I'm an athlete, I train really hard, and so if the other people I train with can see me as I am and still achieve success, that means others can too.' The first day of the diving competition in Singapore saw powerhouses China claiming two golds, as the squad of Chen Yiwen, Chen Yuxi, Cheng Zilong and Cao Yuan won the first title of the meet in the mixed 3m and 10m team event with a total of 466.25. Mexico took the silver with 426.30, while Japan (409.65) bagged the bronze. Singapore's quartet of Tan, Max Lee, Avvir Tham and debutante Ainslee Kwang scored 242.20 to place 20th. Yiwen, a double gold medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, said: 'This is the first time the four of us are taking part in this mixed team event, and we're very glad to have done so. 'I think us springboard divers gave the platform divers a little bit of pressure towards the end, but our platform divers performed incredibly today.'
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Olympic swimming sensation Leon Marchand still has ‘a lot to do' in the sport
Frenchman Leon Marchand was king of the pool in the Singapore leg of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in November 2024. SINGAPORE – Used to delivering lights-out performances on the biggest stage, nothing really fazes four-gold Olympic champion Leon Marchand. The lights did go out briefly during the press conference for the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) at the WCH Arena on July 26, but the 23-year-old hardly batted an eyelid as he fielded a question about what motivates him these days after becoming a swimming sensation at Paris 2024. He said: 'I'm excited for worlds, I want PBs (personal bests) in every single one of my races. Of course, I want to break world records in the next few years. I don't know when that's going to happen, but I still have a lot to do in the swimming world.' In a star-studded press conference boasting the likes of world and Olympic champions in Hubert Kos (Hungary), Australia's Cameron McEvoy and Lani Pallister, there was little doubt that Marchand is still the man of the hour. With the first three questions lobbed at the Frenchmen, even the moderator had to step in to gently ban queries for him for five minutes. That allowed sprint king McEvoy and 800m freestyle upstart Pallister to talk about the rejuvenation of the Australian team as they work towards the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, while backstroke specialist Kos talked about his 'science experiment' of adding individual medleys to his programme. For Marchand, he admitted that life will never be the same again after his Paris feat last August , when he won a stunning four golds – all in championship record times – at his home Olympics. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar Since his triumphs, he has lapped up the attention and adulation in France. 'It's been both – a lot of positives, a lot of negatives,' he said. 'My life in France changed a lot. I have to plan things. I can't just go on my own in the city and get some bread. I have to do different things before, after, and during. It's been a lot to handle at first. 'I also enjoy the positives that happened to me after that. I'm getting used to it, I know how to handle it better, I know how to say no better.' While he claimed the men's individual ranking title at the short-course World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Singapore in November, things did not go his way after that as he dislocated his shoulder in December and fractured his rib in early 2025. He resumed training in March and returned to competition a month later. Acknowledging that this is a 'transition year' post-Olympics, Marchand has trimmed his punishing programme – he has dropped the 200m breaststroke and butterfly and will focus on only the 200m and 400m individual medleys (IM), as well as the relays in Singapore. A scaled-back schedule will also give him a better shot at taking out Ryan Lochte's long-standing world record in the 200m IM – the American clocked 1min 54sec in 2011. Marchand, who holds the 400m IM world record, said: 'I'm really excited to do less than usual, just to see how fast I can go in the 200m IM. I'm just not used to starting on a Wednesday instead of the first day, which is good because I can finally cheer for my teammates.' Other swimmers who are on the hunt for glory include Germany's Florian Wellbrock, who won four open water swimming golds here and is gunning for the 1,500m freestyle title in the WCH Arena. The 27-year-old, who won a gold and bronze in the 10km open water and 1,500m freestyle in Tokyo 2020, admitted that the Paris Olympics 'were tough for me' as he returned home empty-handed. Noting that he considered retiring after that disappointment, he said: 'But after eight weeks of recovering, I had the feeling that I wanted to be back in the water, with my group, with my coach. We decided, ok, let's try and go all the way to LA 2028. I did a lot of work with a new mental coach, and I think I found a good way to be back. It's so nice to be back on top of the podium.' Swiss Noe Ponti wants to add a world championship medal to his haul of Olympic, European Championships and short-course world championships titles. The 24-year-old, who holds the short-course world records in the 50m and 100m butterfly, said: 'The only pressure I have comes from myself. I want to finally win a medal at a long-course world championship. It's not as easy as you think, a lot of factors have to come together.' The swimming competition kicks off on July 27 and while most athletes will be busy training or competing, Marchand will be making the most of his extra rest days. When quizzed by The Sunday Times on what he plans to do in Singapore, he said: 'I was here with my brother the last time and we visited a lot of places. Gardens By The Bay was really nice, and if I have time, I'll do that again just to breathe some nice air and see nice things. 'It's important for us to see more than just the pool and the hotel. I like Singapore and I'm excited to be back.'
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
High diver Rhiannan Iffland extends her dominance with ‘insane' fifth straight world title
SINGAPORE – Up on the 20m platform at Sentosa's Palawan Green and with just one dive to go, Australian Rhiannan Iffland gestured to the crowd to hype them up before taking the plunge at the World Aquatics Championships on July 26. Even as inclement weather delayed the start of the final round by 1½ hours, the 33-year-old appeared relaxed and in good spirits before she executed an inward triple with a half twist. Iffland's score of 102.60 points and total of 359.25 was enough to secure her fifth straight title at the world meet. Canada's Simone Leathead (314.50), who finished fourth and seventh respectively in 2023 and 2024, and the United States' Maya Kelly (310) rounded up the podium. After completing her dive, Iffland slapped the water in celebration, before emerging from the pool to congratulate her rivals. The bubbly, high-energy athlete spectators and fellow athletes saw on the final day of the women's competition was far from how she felt on the inside. She said: 'I had a moment this morning where one of my friends asked me how I was feeling, and I said, 'Oh, I'm faking it.' This is the fourth day, and it's been a lot of diving. I was exhausted today. I do like to think that I do keep myself calm up there to some degree. 'But it's kind of impossible to stay 100 per cent calm when you have those nerves, that adrenaline, and you have the pressure. It's all of those things that you can never put at ease. But I have really worked a lot over the past years to try and calm myself down and get myself into that competitive mode.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar Over three days of competition in Singapore, Iffland demonstrated her quality, heading into the final two rounds with a lead of 351.40 points, ahead of Canada's Molly Carlson (322.80) and American Kaylea Arnett (322.25). On July 26, she maintained that lead after executing the highest scoring dive in the competition with a back three somersaults two twists in the fifth round for 105.35 points, before rain delayed the sixth and final round. When she returned to the diving tower, Iffland delivered another top performance that even she could not quite believe. She said: 'This one's crazy. I've already achieved four in the past, and I was wondering about the possibility of winning a fifth. 'I came into this event knowing I could be fighting for it, but it wasn't my main goal. It's insane, I'm blown away, I'm kinda speechless right now. I never would have thought 10 years ago I would be holding my fifth medal.' Winning five consecutive gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships is a rare feat that only a handful of athletes have achieved. They include Chinese diver Guo Jingjing, who claimed the women's 3m springboard gold in every edition from 2001 to 2009, while American swimmer Katie Ledecky won the 800m freestyle crown six times in a row from 2013 to 2023. While Iffland makes it look easy, she insisted that it is far from the reality. She said: 'It's a lot harder to stay at the top compared to chasing it. You have all the pressure on you, and I constantly feel it. 'I feel the pressure on myself to consistently perform well, time and time again. You put in so much effort in a dive that just lasts three seconds, and if it doesn't go right, it's a hard pill to swallow. I always try to look from the outside in on why I started this sport and keep grounded on why I love it.' While the spotlight was on the veteran, the championships also saw the emergence of young talents like Kelly. The 18-year-old, who was the youngest competitor in the field, was surprised to clinch a medal on her world championships debut. She said: 'It's my first year that I'm able to fully go off of the 20-metre platform. I'm in the senior age group, so I'm here with a lot of older and more experienced divers. 'It's definitely been an experience being the youngest one here. Just learning from my fellow divers, it's been a really cool experience.'
