Stacey defies odds in unprecedented bronze medal dive at FINA Grand Prix

NSWIS gymnast turned diver Declan Stacey has stunned the diving world to claim a bronze medal in the men’s 10m-platform at the FINA Grand Prix on the Gold Coast just 11 months after taking up the sport.

In his first diving competition for Australia, 23-year-old Stacey was quick to impress to finish second in his semi final, qualifying fourth for the final. Come the big show, Stacey could only be beaten by world-class Chinse divers Jian Yang, the world record holder, and Hao Yang.

With a resume that includes a gymnastics gold medal at the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games, Stacey switched to diving last November and has declared it one of his greatest decisions.

“I made the change because I was a bit disheartened because Australia is not as competitive in gymnastics as it is in diving,” Stacey told Diving Australia.

“It’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

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Meanwhile NSWIS diving head coach Chava Sobrino praised Stacey’s work ethic for the surprise result over the weekend.

“We initially had Declan on a six-week program at NSWIS and he ticked all the boxes,” Sobrino said.

“Then we offered him a three-month trial scholarship and he again impressed. So we put him on a talent transfer scholarship and he has made the most of it. From the start he went straight for the big dives, and his basis and ability from gymnastics helped that transition.

“However the most important thing is his enthusiasm and self-motivation. He’s very grateful and easy to coach.

“The result on the weekend was not expected. We thought he would do well, but not this well. His progression is unprecedented, unheard of.”

While there is praise for the result in the event, the opportunity to compete almost never happened. Stacey only received a late call-up for the event after impressing Sobrino and coach Joel Rodriguez at training, who pushed for his inclusion at the eleventh hour.

“Joel and I put a request into Diving Australia for him to compete,” Sobrino continued.

“They allowed that to happen and took a punt on him and showed trust in our program.”

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With his first major result in the bag, Stacey will now turn his focus to the Australian Diving Grand Prix, also on the Gold Coast, in December. From there the focus will be on securing a berth at next year’s world championships in Budapest, which Sobrino cautiously said would be a ‘long shot’.

In other results from the Gold Coast Grand Prix, fellow NSWIS athlete Kevin Chavez continued his strong form to win silver in the men’s 3m springboard behind China’s Jianfeng Peng.

Just a week ago Rio Olympian Chavez won his first ever medal for Australia when he took bronze at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

In the women’s 10m-platform event NSWIS’ Brittany O’Brien finished fourth, just four points adrift of China’s Bingqing Xia.