A Stevenage diver was a triple medal winner at the ASA National Age Group Championships. Maddie Maranian, 13, gained two silvers and a bronze medal in the championships at the Quays Swimming and Diving Complex, Southampton. The standard this year was the

A Stevenage diver was a triple medal winner at the ASA National Age Group Championships.

Maddie Maranian, 13, gained two silvers and a bronze medal in the championships at the Quays Swimming and Diving Complex, Southampton.

The standard this year was the highest ever since the competition was first introduced.

Maddie gained a silver medal last year in the younger age group in her first year of diving since changing from gymnastics.

She has since moved on an age group into the B class 14/15 years and has improved considerably on her degree of difficulty.

This has given consistent all-round performances from the one metre and three metre springboard which gained her a second and third place finish.

Her extra strength and agility from the five metre platform gained her a further silver in only her second full year in the highly competitive field of national diving.

Another Stevenage girl, 15-year-old Lauren Jones, came agonisingly close to gaining a national title when partnering her club team-mate 17-year-old Lydia Moore, last year's national age group champion.

They lost by just 0.22 of a point in the girls' group A 16/18 years national three metre springboard synchro to finish in the silver medal position.

All three girls were representing the Beaumont Diving Academy at Hatfield under the watchful eye of their coach Derek Beaumont.

Beaumont said: "This was a commendable performance by all the divers as facilities for them at Hatfield recently have been far from ideal.

"All synchro routines had to be put together on the day due to a breakage of the public springboard which had been out of use for the past four weeks.

"This made training for all national divers extremely difficult.

"We already lack the advantages of many of the other competitors through the absence of a 10m platform or a dry land springboard for land training.