Diving Australia has announced a team of 15 athletes to represent Australia at the World Aquatics Junior Championships, one of the sport’s premier international development events.

Held in Rijeka, Croatia from 21-28 August, the Championships bring together the world’s best emerging diving talent and serve as a critical pathway toward future senior international competition, including the LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.

Leading the Australian team is Queensland’s Maggie Grey, who returns to the global stage with her sights set on another world title. Grey claimed gold in the Girls 14 Years event at the 2024 World Aquatics Junior Championships before making her senior Australian debut at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

Grey, who turns 16 today, says she is not taking any expectations into her second World Junior Champs however knows if she dives the way she can, a podium result is on the cards.

“I’m excited to put a Junior A list down as I have not done that yet but I have no real expectations on myself. I am just there to have fun and put down another solid comp.” 

“There is a big difference between the way the athletes train and behave in the senior competitions to junior but I like the Junior [competition] as obviously everyone is my age and I have all my friends on the team.” 

Grey is joined by fellow Senior Team members Ruby Drogemuller (New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS)) and Hayden Brinckley (NSWIS) who will be hoping to turn recent international experience into podium finishes in Croatia along with a talented group of rising stars eager to test themselves against the world’s best. 

One of the youngest members of the team 13-year-old Mila Klyne (Qld) said she was excited to be selected for her first Junior World Championships after competing at her first international event for Australia last month in California.

“It feels really good to make my first World Juniors in Croatia and I’m really excited to meet new people. Competing at the TYR Junior American Cup has given me a lot of confidence. [Making Worlds has] definitely been my goal and I’m really excited to go and see what I can do.” 

Diving Australia Head Coach and Program Director Ady Hinchliffe said the selected team reflects the strength of Australia’s emerging diving program and the exciting future ahead.

“This group represents the future of Australian diving. Having established senior athletes like Ruby Drogemuller and Maggie Grey alongside our younger team members creates a powerful environment where experience and ambition come together,” Hinchliffe said.

“The Junior World Championships are an important step in preparing our athletes for senior competition and ultimately provide exposure to the level required to succeed on the international stage.”

“These athletes are not just competing for results now; they are building towards something bigger. There is genuine belief and aspiration within this group to represent Australia at our home Olympic Games in Brisbane, and this championship is an important milestone on that journey.”

The team announcement kicks off a major week of diving in Brisbane, with Australia’s leading athletes converging for the Australian Open Championships from 3–6 June.

Headlining the competition will be Maddison Keeney, Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist, 2025 World Champion and multiple World Cup medallist across both individual and synchronised events. She will be joined by Alysha Koloi, 2024 World Champion and World Cup medallist, who has enjoyed significant success alongside Keeney in synchronised competition.

The Australian Open Championships will also culminate in the announcement of athletes selected for the Australian Diving Cup, which will be held on the Gold Coast in December.

NSWIS scholarship holders selected for World Aquatics Junior Championships
(A = 16-18 yrs | B = 14–15yrs)

Women:
Mariah Photi – Girls A 1m & 3m Springboard, Team Event,  Springboard Synchro
Kayla Davies – Girls A 10m Platform, Team Event
Ruby Drogemuller – Girls A 10m Platform Synchro
Lillian Cormack (NSW) – Girls B Platform

Men:
Hayden Brinckley (NSW) – Boys B Platform & Synchro
Zachary Chan (NSW) – Boys B 1m & 3m Springboard

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