At 5,900m above sea level, British diver Jack Laugher finds springboard to next goal
British diving Olympic champion Jack Laugher has competed at nine world championships and four Olympics.
SINGAPORE – Ahead of the 2025 season, British diver Jack Laugher sought inspiration far from the pool – some 5,895 metres above sea level on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Together with teammate Noah Williams, Laugher climbed Africa's highest mountain in October 2024, two months after the Paris Olympics, where they both finished on the podium.
In Paris, Laugher claimed the men's 3m synchronised springboard bronze alongside Anthony Harding, while Williams earned a silver and a bronze in the men's 10m synchronised and 10m platform events respectively.
Laugher may be used to throwing himself off platforms and springboards while executing twists and tucks mid-air, but this five-day trek up Kilimanjaro posed a very different challenge for him.
He said: 'Going up Kilimanjaro for me and Noah was to test ourselves in something other than diving.
'We're so wrapped up in this little bubble of diving – I've never had a proper job, I've never really pushed myself in anything else because I've been so protected around my sport.
'So being able to go out and do something completely different really adds a lot to me, brings a lot of confidence in myself, knowing that I can do things that aren't just in this sport.'
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In addition to that, he also raised money for The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention non-profit organisation for young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.
The Kilimanjaro challenge appears to have worked well for him.
In 2025, Laugher has already picked up a bronze and a silver in the World Aquatics Diving World Cup series, along with a bronze in the men's 3m synchronised at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore with Harding.
His campaign in the Republic, however, ended on July 31 in disappointment. He finished 26th in the men's 3m springboard preliminary round with 360.80 points after a poor second dive, missing out on a place in the 18-man semi-final at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.
Britain's Anthony Harding (left) and Jack Laugher took the men's 3m synchronised bronze at the World Aquatics Championships on July 28.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Despite the blip, the 30-year-old is already looking ahead to a fifth appearance at the Olympics.
Now one of the veterans of the sport – he was one of seven divers aged 30 and over in a field of 65 in the men's 3m springboard – he feels he has more to give.
He is the only remaining member of the 2012 London Olympics diving team, which included Olympic champion and four-time world champion Tom Daley who retired after the Paris Games.
Laugher said: 'There's not many of us left now who've been going as long as I have, but I really enjoy the sport, I enjoy the competition. I enjoy trying to bring the best out of myself.
'I doubt very much that if I was to do a normal job, I'd get this level of adrenaline and excitement out of what I do so I'm taking every year as I can and I'm very, very lucky to still be here.'
With four medals, including a gold, at the Olympics, Laugher is the second most successful British diver at the Games behind Daley, who has a gold, silver and three bronzes.
He was also the first British diver to win an Olympic gold, achieving the feat with Chris Mears at the 2016 Rio Games in the men's 3m synchro springboard.
With nine World Championships and four Olympics under his belt, Laugher hopes to use his experience to guide the younger divers.
He said: 'I've had the amazing experience of being able to follow the Toms, the Pete Waterfields, even the Chris Mears, and I've been able to learn so much from them and I hope that I can implement some of that experience and knowledge on to them and set a positive tone for how professional you should be at a competition.'
Having gone through three different pairings at the Olympics, Laugher is glad his partnership with Harding is going well.
Harding, 25, said: 'It shows on the board how incredible divers we are, but we've definitely learnt over the years what we need from each other and that's what is super special – when we want to turn it on during the day, we both know what to do and we can trust each other and that's the biggest special thing that we have.'
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