Cole makes big splash for Australia at American Cup

New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship diver Ellie Cole made a mighty splash in her first senior international competition by seizing two gold medals at the American Cup in Indianapolis.

The 17-year-old, who hopes to study physics at university when she completes her high school studies, starred at the Indiana University Natatorium to take out the gold for the women’s 10m platform and the women’s 10m synchronised event, for which she shared the podium with fellow NSWIS athlete, Ruby Drogemuller (both pictured above).

NSWIS athletes shone in the international event which featured teams from the USA, Canada, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Japan, Korea. Mexico, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Chinese Taipei, and Uzbekistan.

Their efforts, which included Sam Fricker being presented with a gold medal for the mixed team event and his fourth in the men’s 10m individual, helped guide Australia to fourth place (overall) behind the USA, Great Britain, and France.

Before leaving for the national squad’s tour of North America, Cole said she was driven by the pursuit of perfection – as impossible as it is.

“You know you can’t be perfect, but trying to achieve perfection is the goal,” she said. “I’m still very new to the sport and that’s the goal; it’s what I’m searching for. That pursuit motivates me.”

NSWIS’s Head Diving coach, Chava Sobrino, described Cole as being as much as an artist as she is a diver of enormous potential.

“Her style is very aesthetic . . . it’s very powerful . . . she enters the water beautifully,” he enthused before the team’s departure.

“When you see her in the air, it’s like looking at artwork. It’s as if someone has drawn a beautiful picture. Very artistic, and there isn’t a lot of people around the world who are like that in the air.”

Meanwhile, NSWIS scholarship athlete Hannah Smith (pictured above) won the bronze medal for the Junior A Girls Platform at the International Youth Diving Meet in Dresden, Germany.

Last October Smith joined fellow NSWIS athletes Cole, Drogemuller, Lachlan Abbott, Deanna Drake – who competed in Dresden – and Chloe Gao at Diving Australia’s Dream 2832 Squad camp in Brisbane.

The squad’s goal is to foster young athletes with talent, integrity, high skill set, dedication, commitment and, ultimately, the potential to achieve excellence at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and/or the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.

Daniel Lane, NSWIS