Dan Goodfellow clinches double springboard gold at the British National Diving Cup

Dan Goodfellow had double reason to celebrate at the British National Diving Cup in Plymouth.

The 22-year-old Meldreth-based diver has dropped down from the 10m platform to the 3m springboard to prolong his career after struggling with injuries.

Goodfellow, who won bronze with Tom Daley at the Rio Olympics, has joined up with Jack Laugher, who took 3m gold with Chris Mears in Brazil.

Goodfellow and Laugher have only been training together since the autumn, and on their competitive synchro debut scored 387.99 points to take top spot in the standings.

“We didn’t have any performance-related goals, we just wanted to go out there and get some experience, learn about each other and see what we need to work on for future events such as that London World Series,” said Goodfellow.

On the second day of competition, Goodfellow, who is now based in Leeds, stamped his authority on the springboard events to earn his first British individual title.

The pick of his dives was a forward four-and-a-half somersaults, worth 85.50, as he claimed the crown with 446.10 to be a clear winner.

“I’m really happy,” said Goodfellow. “The morning [in qualifying] was a bit shaky and I’ve had a bit of inconsistency on my hurdles.

“But I knew before this weekend that I’d done everything I needed to do so that I was physically and mentally ready, so it was just a few minor things I had to sort out before the final. I felt really good and probably the strongest I ever have.”

“It wasn’t just two people fighting for that title – there are so many good divers now and we’re all doing the big dives, all the 3½s and the front 4½ as well, so you just can’t hold back.

“We saw some top boys not even make the final, which is brutal and it may not happen in other events.”

Fellow former Cambridge Dive Team member Ben Cutmore was also in the medals.

The 15-year-old won a silver medal in the 10m platform synchro event with partner Lucas Thomson, with Daley and new partner Matty Lee earning the gold medal.