Life Member Olympians who started their careers at Ringwood Diving Club

Anabelle Smith

Dual Olympian Anabelle Smith claimed Australia's fifth medal of the Rio 2016 Games in the 3m synchronised springboard event, alongside Olympic debutant Maddison Keeney. The duo finished on 299.19 points, behind Chinese gold medallists Shi Tingmao and Wu Minxia and Italy’s Tania Cagnotto and Francesca Dallape in silver. The pair were in fifth place heading into the last round before their fifth and final dive, a forward two and half somersault one twist pike, put them into medal contention in third. With only Canada left to dive, Jennifer Abel and Pamela Ware’s final dive score of 47.28 wasn’t enough to push Keeney and Smith off the podium, with the Aussies holding on by one point.

Smith claimed bronze in the 10m synchronised event with Bree Cole at the 2010 Commonwealth Games before partnering with Sharleen Stratton in 2011. The pair won the 2012 nomination trials to secure a berth at the London Games.

Smith, who was 19 in London , and 25-year-old Stratton finished in fifth in the synchronised 3m springboard event- less than 12 points off a medal as China claimed the gold.

At the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, Anabelle and her partner, Madisson Keeney placed 3rd in the Women's 3m Synchro Event

At the Commonwealth Games 2018, Anabelle and her new partner, Esther Qin won Bronze in the Women's 3m Synchro Event

http://corporate.olympics.com.au/athlete/anabelle-smith1

Grant Nel                   

After diving for 19 years, South African-born Grant Nel made his Olympic debut at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre in Rio in the men’s 3 metre springboard. His selection came after a strong performance at the Australian Open Championships where he was crowned National Champion. In Rio, Nel performed strongly in the preliminary round, finishing 16th on 395.05 points, to make it through to the semi-finals where he finished 15th overall on 368.35 points.

Nel switched from gymnastics to diving when he was nine, after he broke both his hands. He then trained in the school pool in South Africa under their national coach until he moved to Australia.

Mid-way through 2015 he made the move to Adelaide to train at the South Australian Institute of Sport, with National Coach Michel Larouche, as part of his Olympic preparation.

He comes from a strong sporting family, with his mother representing South Africa in gymnastics at the World Championships.

Nel won a bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a bronze and silver at the 2014 Commwealth Games.

Grant spent 4 years at Texas A & M University in College Station, Texas on a full Diving Scholarship.

Grant retired from diving in August 2017 after a full shoulder reconstruction

http://corporate.olympics.com.au/athlete/grant-nel

James Connor

At 17, James Connor was the youngest male in the Australian diving team at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Connor contested the 10m platform after finishing second to Matthew Mitcham at the Australian nomination trials. In London, Connor finished 20th in the preliminary round and narrowly missed a berth in the semi-final. James also competed in the 2016 Olympic Games, ending 15th in the Platform event.

In 2010 Connor was the youngest Australian male ever to compete in the 10m Platform at a Commonwealth Games when he finished ninth as a 15-year-old. James also competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, where he won Silver in the Men's 1 metre springboard, and Bronze in the 3 metre springboard.

Jaele Patrick

Jaele Patrick made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Competing in the 3m springboard event, Patrick was the final athlete to qualify for the semi-final after finishing 18th in the preliminaries. In the semi-final, Patrick repeated her tightrope act and qualified 11th out of the 12 athletes to make the final. She went on to finish 11th in the final with compatriot Sharleen Stratton fifth and China’s Minxia Wu claiming gold.

The dual 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist took up a sports scholarship at Texas A&M University and beat the best divers in the US College system to win the NCAA Championship before earning her spot to compete at the London Games.