Right: Byron is hoping to represent Australia in diving at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, after having his passion for the sport rekindled by watching this year’s Commonwealth Games.
By Marc McGowan
ENDEAVOUR Hills diving aspirant Nick Byron is preparing to embark on January’s Australian Open Championships, with one eye on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The 22-year-old has been diving for 11 years and became involved in the sport after watching it on television and has not looked back since.
“I love the adrenaline rush it gives you and the fear of what is going to happen with the dive,” he said.
Byron lists this fear as one of the toughest challenges of the sport, on top of having to learn new dives.
No shortage of training goes into overcoming these challenges, however, and Byron is on pool deck at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) ten times a week, with sessions evenly split between morning and night.
He also hits the gym three times a week to keep in peak condition.
The Swinburne University student, who is in his third year of a Bachelor of Social Science degree, does find it difficult to balance his demanding lifestyle at times.
“I still get to go out, but not being able to see my mates is one of the sacrifices I have to make,” he said.
“When I’m not training, I’m usually studying – I’m in the middle of exams at the moment.”
His girlfriend, Coral Bentley, is a member of the Australian synchronised swimming team, which means that she can relate to the hectic schedule Byron has.
“When our training is the same, we can drive each other into MSAC, which saves a bit of petrol,” he said.
Last year was somewhat of a breakout for Byron and he received his first international experience at the World University Summer Games in Turkey, a competition that is viewed as a precursor to open international representation.
He earned his place on the team through his performances at the open national championships the same year, where he recorded an impressive sixth place in the one-metre springboard.
Byron subsequently finished 30th in both of his individual events at the Games, competing in the one-metre and his preferred three-metre springboard competition.
“When I got there I was pretty nervous, but once I started the competition I relaxed,” he said.
“I realised I had nothing to lose. I get intimidated pretty easily, but the international competition has taken that away.
“I’m a lot better now. You don’t need to put pressure on yourself.”
After finishing the competition, he was eager to return to Australia and put his diving career into full throttle, but the opposite eventuated.
“I couldn’t wait to get back into it, but I ended up taking six months off,” Byron said. “All the travel started getting to me and I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. I basically got over it.”
The Melbourne Commonwealth Games rekindled his passion for the sport, however, and he returned in April this year.
There is not much domestic competition for diving in Australia, which has meant Byron has been forced to revert to pennant-level and state qualifiers to compete.
His first big test in his comeback comes in the form of the Queensland titles this weekend and he has high expectations.
“I’m expecting to be in the top three. The guys I’ll be competing against will be the same ones I’ll face in the nationals next year,” Byron explained.
It is a case of one step at a time for the local talent, but there is little doubt that he has a big trip planned for 2008.
