DIVING young gun Kobi White, 12, has come away with the top award for his age group in his first national competition.
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White, who has been diving for two years, won the 12/13 boys Diver of the Year award at the Australian Age Championships, held at Chandler this month.
He also brought home four medals including a bronze for the three metre springboard, a silver for the three metre synchronised, and golds for the one metre springboard and five metre platform.
"I wasn't really expecting to win so I was sort of surprised that I did this well," White said.
"It was my first nationals so it was very special."
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It was the result of months of hard work, with White training for 2.5 hours every day with his Chandler Diving Club teammates in the lead-up to the competition.
"I get there [to training] and we do a run, we'll do some stretching and go inside and do an ab workout, then more stretching, then go into the pool," he said.
"We also do dryland training with springboards and foam pits, trampolines and an air track."
Hard work and commitment is the attitude White hopes will help him achieve his dream of competing in the 2028 Olympics.
He will be following in the footsteps of coach Jeff Arbon, who competed in the 1988 Games in Seoul.
White's father is also a former diver.
After a well-deserved rest, White is now gearing up for his next competition, where he will be representing his school, Faith Lutheran College Redlands.
His top tip for beginner divers was to train hard and be persistent.
"Just try your best, because it's a lot of fun."
