'We are only human' - an interview with diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix
‘We are only human’ – Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, Commonwealth Games & European gold medal winning 10m platform diver, comes back to this phrase a lot … and other fantastic words of wisdom which leave me feeling inspired and motivated by the end of our chat. But there’s much more to the first woman to win a platform diving gold for England at the Commonwealth Games since 1966, than that.
Andrea was scouted to dive as an eight-year-old as she was a swimmer and a gymnast, and she’s been diving ever since. She tells me about how fun diving was as a child: experiencing the adrenaline rush of competing, learning new dives and striving to improve. And over the years, she really has. This summer was her most successful as she competed in front of a home crowd at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, achieving two gold medals and a silver in 10m platform, 10m mixed synchro and 10m synchro respectively. She then went onto the European Championships in Rome where she secured two golds in 10m platform and 10m synchro, helping team Great Britain to achieve bronze in the team event.
Photo by Clive Rose
‘Normally when you dive into the water it’s really peaceful but at the Commonwealth Games, I could hear the roar from the crowd, so I knew it was a good dive,’ she tells me. Despite the success, it hasn’t always been plain sailing.
The time after the Tokyo Olympics was tough despite being a finalist: Andrea didn’t enjoy diving, hated training (and she really doesn’t like the word ‘hate’ so that shows how much she disliked it!) and saw her profession as something she had to do rather than a choice. But over time and thanks to her supportive family, her faith and church, she overcame the mental blocks and had the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in her sights. Andrea threw herself into training and banished her worries. She describes having tunnel vision, such was her focus, looking for small changes she could make to refine her dive.
Summer 2022 and the Commonwealth Games, Andrea’s favourite competition: home crowd, family in attendance and a great energy from Team England supporters. ‘They didn’t necessarily know me, but they were cheering me on anyway and that gave me strength. I love that sport can do that, bring people together.’ The hard work paid off and Andrea achieved the top spot, not once but twice. ‘It was incredible. The adrenaline was pumping so much my body hurt!’
She had trained hard for the Games and had pushed through her limits. When she arrived in Rome for the European Championships, she was exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally. Good job she was in front of another home crowd – her mum is Italian. The dives were in an outside pool, a first for Andrea and an added element to overcome: ‘The sky is blue and the pool is blue so it’s a bit disorientating when you’re diving!’
Photo by Clive Rose
Her coach took the pressure off and told her to have fun. Andrea and Lois Toulon only practiced their synchro dive on the day of competition and look at what they achieved!
This winter, Andrea has the Junior World Championships in Montreal – her last junior competition which, she says, makes her feel old. She has just won the British Swimming Awards ‘Diving Emerging Athlete of 2021-22’ and was nominated for BT Sport’s Action Woman of the Year and The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year. When I look into the future to more great achievements, I ask about the Paris Olympics in 2024, she feeds me more wisdom – ‘One day at a time.’
Andrea’s words of wisdom
Andrea is very open about her faith and it is clear from talking to her that it is an extremely important part of her life, a steadying force and a constant. She begins every day in prayer, thanking God for the gift of another day and the last thing she does before bed is Bible study. The perspective that this practice gives her means that she’s full of great things to say about life.
‘Everyone has something in them. We all have different talents: sport, singing, dancing. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to someone else because we’re all completely different and we’re made to be different. We should be inspired by other people rather than degrade ourselves next to them. We should ask, “Can I learn from them?”’
A We are Girls in Sport follower asked about tips for a good mindset for an elite athlete. Here is Andrea’s opinion.
‘I take a lot from my faith and try to focus on God and not my problems. I understand that I can’t control the uncontrollable and that being 100 per cent good will never happen. I try not to let one thing control the whole day and I talk; I communicate with school and family. Be disciplined but remember that you’re human at the end of the day.
New day, new opportunity. Why worry about tomorrow?’
As well as all this wisdom, Andrea does like to have fun! If you can, check out her posts on social media!
Andrea answers your questions
There were several questions about how Andrea achieves balance between schoolwork, training, family and being a teenager.
Andrea: ‘It’s a work in progress but really comes down to time management. I’m vocal with my family, school and diving coaches about stress and feeling overwhelmed so they help me work out a timetable to help me manage my time. I need to rest and do homework; I need time to train.
Sundays I have off. I’m a human being and I need to rest. I set that as a boundary.’
How do you train for a synchro dive? Do you just practice and practice until it’s perfect?!
Andrea: ‘Your partner is usually someone who has a similar technique to you and then it’s down to trial and error, and compromise by both. You would perform a lot of drills in the gym such as somersaults on mats and you have to communicate. It’s a lot of fun!’
Do you have any superstitions before a competition?
Andrea: ‘No, I let go and let God get to work. I pray and do Bible study before the competition.’
What advice do you have for divers who want to turn professional?
Andrea: ‘Becoming professional is when you go from thinking diving is fun to “Oh, I have a talent!”. From age nine or ten I was dreaming about the Olympics, so it was a fairly easy transition for me to go pro. My family and faith played a part and especially my family as sacrifices need to be made. But nothing is impossible.’
How do you get over the fear of a new dive?
Andrea: ‘Just go for it! If you overthink it, you’re not going to do as well. It’s a leap of faith, push yourself.’
How do you track your period while competing?
Andrea: ‘I track my period and my symptoms are consistent which is helpful. I make sure that my coaches are aware and they work together – there should be no shame in talking about it. I see my period as a sign of being healthy. It’s annoying and irritating, I can feel bloated, but I actually had my period when I won gold at the Commonwealth Games! My period actually makes me stronger!’
What are your ultimate goals?
Andrea: ‘To be happy and healthy, to have fun. I’d like to go to university. I’d like an Olympic medal and after diving, I’d like to help others using the skills that I’ve learnt. As a sportswoman I want to inspire others.’