A US teen diver has won a ten meter event in Alabama making her one of the youngest ever national champions in diving.
ElliReese Niday, 13, beat Texas sophomore Bayleigh Cranford, 19, by ten points, following in her national champion mother’s footsteps.
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She is the youngest to win a national diving championship in an individual event since 13-year-old Hailey Hernandez in 2016 in the three-meter event.
Niday only turned 13 in February but is already a seven-time junior national champion and has Olympic dreams.
She said to USADiving on Thursday: “It doesn’t feel real. I just tried to stay focused on my own dives and celebrate after.
“It’s really crazy. Maybe one day when I grow up, I’ll make the Olympic team possibly.”
This individual honour would qualify her for this summer’s World Championships but she is too young, not turning 14 until next year.
The teen was first after Tuesday’s semi-finals with three dives scoring more than 80 points.
On Thursday she also scored more than 80 points on two of her five dives and eventually finished the competition with 81.60 points on a back 3 1/2 tuck and a 90.10 reverse 3 1/2 tuck.
It is her best finish at a senior championship event yet after she finished fifth at the 2024 Winter National Championships but if her youth record is anything to go off – it won’t be her last.
Niday dominated the 11-and-under age group to win 1-meter, 3-meter and platform at the 2022 Junior National Championships.
She has also won three gold medals at the 2023 Junior Pan American Championships.
It is a task to find a rank that isn’t number one on her diving meet history, only faltering really on her debuts in senior national competition, aged 11.
Niday’s mother, Lauren, coaches her and was an all-American diver.
She said to The Diving Pod: “Never in my wildest imagination could I have dreamed that I would have a daughter who would love the same sport that I fell in love with!
“It truly is the coolest adventure for us to be able to intensely love the same sport together!
“What is my role now? Supporting ElliReese is my main role and that includes anything that she needs.
“Whether it is a hug after a hard practice, encouragement to continue to reach her goals, a trampoline workout together at home, or tears of joy with her after a good meet…it all is a part of it.”
The teen wasn’t the only wonder story from the championships as 24-year-old Max Flory won the men’s 3-meter event after breaking his hand only a few weeks ago.
