The International Diving Tournament among juniors has concluded in Dresden, gathering the strongest athletes from 21 countries.

These competitions were a great rehearsal before the upcoming European and World Junior Championships, scheduled for July in Gdansk and November in Rio de Janeiro, respectively.

The Ukrainian team, represented by 13 athletes in Dresden, won 9 medals: 1 gold, 7 silver, and 1 bronze.

Those just short of the podium included Sofiya Esman and Diana Shevchenko in platform diving, Maksym Mirza in 3-meter springboard diving, and Dmytro Stepanov in 1-meter springboard diving, indicating the high potential of our athletes.

Congratulations to the winners and medalists of the competition, and we wish them further sporting success.

Medalists of the International Tournament:

Gold:

Valeriy Malyeyev (1m springboard, Group B)

Silver:

Alisa Myeshkova and Diana Shevchenko (synchronized platform)

Kseniya Bochek (1m springboard, Group B)

Kyrylo Azarov (3m springboard, Group A)

Nazariy Kononenko (3m springboard, Group B)

Kseniya Bochek and Yelizaveta Dyadyuk (synchronized 3m springboard)

Kyrylo Azarov and Maksym Mirza (synchronized 3m springboard)

Marko Barsukov (platform, Group A)

Bronze:

Dmytro Stepanov (3m springboard, Group B)

On the first competitive day of the World Cup Superfinal in diving in Sanya, China, Ukrainians Sofia Lyskun and Ksenia Baylo won bronze medals.

For their synchronized dives from the platform, the girls scored 294.42 points, trailing behind the Chinese and Canadian pairs.

Ihor Lysov, President of the Ukrainian Diving and Synchronized Swimming Federation, congratulated the girls and the coaching staff on the award and wished them not to slack off!

This bronze became the second medal for our athletes in this year’s World Cup. They first stepped onto the podium at the stage in Berlin.

“For us, for all of Ukraine, every medal, every victory is important like never before! Therefore, we would like to thank our defenders for the opportunity to compete on the international stage and once again remind the world that Ukrainian athletes, despite the war, are capable of rising to the podium because we are a strong and unbreakable nation,” commented Ksenia Baylo and Sofia Lyskun on their performance!

European Aquatics has announced the winner of the best athlete of 2023 in diving among men. It is our Ukrainian, Oleksiy Sereda!

The 18-year-old athlete won gold medals last year in team events and synchronized diving from the platform at the European Championships, held as part of the III European Games in Gdansk. Oleksiy also climbed to the second step of the podium in synchronized diving from the platform at the World Championships in Fukuoka.

The Ukrainian athlete received the highest number of votes in all three categories. It is worth remembering that in 2022, Oleksii Sereda was also nominated for the European Aquatics Awards and took second place.

Ihor Lysov, President of the Ukrainian Diving and Synchronized Swimming Federation, congratulated Oleksiy and the coaching staff on this incredible recognition. “Such victories inspire us, Ukrainians, to new achievements. Every success shows that we are a strong nation, fighting and defending our principles in fair competition. I am confident that European recognition for Oleksiy will be a significant incentive for him in preparation for the most important event of the year – the Olympic Games.”

The remarkable conclusion of the World Championship in the Qatari capital showcased the talents of our divers. On the final day in Doha, the Ukrainian team’s medal collection was enriched with yet another bronze medal in men’s platform diving.

The author of this achievement is 18-year-old Oleksiy Sereda, who, with a record-breaking score of 528.65 points, was surpassed only by two Chinese athletes.

This World Championship award marks the first for men’s platform diving in individual competition.

“This is my 4th World Championship, and finally, I managed to secure an individual medal. I focused and achieved it. Everything went as I wanted,” commented Oleksiy Sereda on his performance.

Igor Lysov, the President of the Ukrainian Diving and Synchronized Swimming Federation, congratulated the athlete and the entire coaching staff on the incredible conclusion of the World Championship in Doha and thanked them for their dedicated effort.

The debut award for the Ukrainian diving team at the World Championship, currently taking place in the Qatari capital Doha, was brought by 18-year-old Oleksiy Sereda and 16-year-old Kirill Boliukh.

In synchronized platform diving with a score of 406.47 points, the boys managed to rise to the third step of the podium, surpassing only the medalists from the Olympic Games from China and Great Britain.

It’s worth noting that this award became their second joint achievement in their careers. At last year’s World Championship 2023 in Fukuoka, the Ukrainians became silver medalists, which allowed them to secure a spot for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

For Oleksiy Sereda, this medal became his third in his career. He won his debut award together with Sofia Lyskun in mixed pair synchronized platform diving.

“Until the third dive, I didn’t believe that we could climb onto the podium,” Sereda shares his impressions after the final. “We are proud that we succeeded and were able to please our country, which is still at war. We constantly feel the danger to our lives and the lives of our loved ones at home. It’s hard to focus solely on training when air raid sirens are sounding.”

After the championship, the team will return to Kyiv, to their home pool “Liko,” where they will continue preparing for important competitions of the season.

We are approaching the end of 2023! Our country endured, did not give up, and we continued to achieve sporting victories!

This year, the Ukrainian national diving team became the best both at the European Championship and the European Junior Championship, winning overall team rankings!

In total, our athletes earned 20 medals, including 11 🥇, 6 🥈, and 3 🥉 at the World and European Championships, as well as the European Junior Championship!

We are proud of our incredible team!

We don’t stop and continue to train persistently, doing everything to ensure that the blue-yellow flag is consistently raised at every start, and that the anthem of Ukraine resonates in international arenas!

With faith and hope, we enter the new year 2024!

In Aachen, Germany, the 10th International Diving Cup Ulla-Klinger concluded, gathering 110 young athletes from 9 countries.

Over the course of 4 competitive days, Ukrainians showcased a high level of skill among their peers and secured 31 medals, including 15 gold, 12 silver, and 4 bronze. This accomplishment allowed Team Ukraine to top the overall team standings.

The champions and medalists include:

Champions:

• Yegor Tkachenko – 1m springboard, group D, platform group D, 3m springboard, group D
• Dmytro Stepanov – 1m springboard, group C, 3m springboard, group C
• Nazariy Kononenko – platform, group C
• Alina Polonets – platform, group D, 3m springboard, group D
• Daria Tertychna – 1m springboard, group D
• Dmytro Kachanov – 3m springboard, group B
• Valeriy Maliyev – platform, group B, 1m springboard, group B
• Ivan Polishvaiko and Yegor Tkachenko – 3m springboard, synchronized, group D/C
• Daria Tertychna and Alina Polonets – 3m springboard, synchronized, group D/C
• Daria Tertychna and Daria Polyakova – platform, synchronized, group D/C

Silver Medalists:

• 2nd place – Daria Polyakova – 1m springboard, group D, 3m springboard, group D, platform, group D
• 2nd place – Ivan Ananyev – 1m springboard, group D, 3m springboard, group D, platform, group D
• 2nd place – Valeriy Maliyev – 3m springboard, group B
• 2nd place – Nazariy Kononenko – 1m springboard, group C, 3m springboard, group C
• 2nd place – Yelizaveta Dyadyuk – 3m springboard, group C
• 2nd place – Alisa Kryvetska and Veronika Andrashchuk (200.13) – platform, synchronized, group D/C
• 2nd place – Dmytro Kachanov – 1m springboard, group B

Bronze Medalists:

• 3rd place – Ivan Polishvaiko – platform, group C
• 3rd place – Alina Polonets – 1m springboard, group D
• 3rd place – Daria Tertychna – platform, group D, 3m springboard, group D

Our diver secured the 4th position following the final voting held in Istanbul during the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees. The first place was shared between Turkey’s representative Kuzey Tunçelli (swimming) and Germany’s Darja Varfolomeev (artistic gymnastics).

“I thank the EOC for the support. Today, I can stand here in front of you because of the assistance that the Ukrainian team received after the full-scale war began in our country in February 2022. Of course, Paris 2024 is my goal, but I also have a dream and believe that it will come true. This dream is about an independent, free, and flourishing Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine,” noted the 16-year-old athlete during his speech.

The Piotr Nurowski Prize was initiated by the European Olympic Committees in 2011. Boliukh became the third Ukrainian athlete in summer sports to reach the final of this prestigious award.

It is worth to remind that in 2023, the athlete won the silver at the World Championships in synchronized platform diving, earning a spot for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. He also became a two-time champion at the III European Games in synchronized platform diving and mixed-gender synchronized platform diving.

We congratulate Kirill and are proud of him!

On the eve of the Day of Physical Culture and Sports in the capital of Ukraine, ceremonies were held to honour athletes and coaches.

It’s pleasing to note that even the divers were honoured with honorary awards and orders.

For their outstanding sports achievements at the III European Games in Krakow (Republic of Poland), demonstrating dedication and the will to win, and enhancing Ukraine’s international reputation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky honoured them with state awards:

Ksenia Baylo, Anna Pysmenska – Order of Princess Olga, 3rd class

Kirill Boliukh, Oleg Kolodi, Oleksiy Sereda – Order “For Merit,” 3rd class

Sofia Esman – Medal “For Labor and Victory.”

The Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, presented Honorary Diplomas to Ksenia Baylo and Kirill Boliukh and their coaches – Vice President of the Diving Federation of Ukraine Tamara Tokmachova and the head coach of the Ukrainian national diving team Illia Tseliutin.

Congratulations to our athletes and coaches on their prestigious awards, and we are proud of their achievements!

The European Junior Diving Championships in Rieti turned out to be a triumph for the Ukrainian team. They earned a total of 10 medals, including 7 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze. This accomplishment allowed our team to lead the overall team standings among all 25 participating countries on the continent. An incredible result that will undoubtedly become part of our sports history!

The champions and medalists are as follows:

1st place – Danilo Avanesov, Kyrylo Azarov, Karina Hlyzhina, Mark Hrytsenko (mixed team event)

1st place – Karina Hlyzhina (3m springboard, Group B)

1st place – Diana Shevchenko and Alisa Meshkova (synchronized diving, platform)

1st place – Kyrylo Azarov and Maksym Mirza (synchronized diving, 3m springboard)

1st place – Mark Hrytsenko (3m springboard, Group B)

1st place – Karina Hlyzhina (platform, Group B)

1st place – Danilo Avanesov (platform, Group A)

2nd place – Mark Hrytsenko (platform, Group B)

3rd place – Kyrylo Azarov (3m springboard, Group A)

3rd place – Sofiia Vystavkina (platform, Group B).

Igor Lysov, President of the Diving Federation of Ukraine, expressed sincere gratitude to the tournament organizers for their hospitality, to Vadym Gutzeit, the head of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the National Olympic Committee for their support and cooperation.

And, of course, he extended thanks to our best coaches who love their work, live for it, and contribute to the sporting glory of Ukraine, as well as to our young athletes for their fighting spirit and desire for victory!