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Grant NEL
Sport Diving
NOC Australia   
GenderMen
Born07 Apr 1988 in Johannesburg, SAF
Height1.76 m
Weight 70 kg
 Human Interest 
Further Personal Information
Residence
Melbourne, VIC, AUS
General Interest
Hero / Idol
Australian distance runner Craig Mottram, Moroccoan distance runner Hicham el Guerrouj, South African rugby player Bryan Habana. (diving.asn.au, 15 Nov 2012; vis.org.au, 07 Apr 2014)
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?
He began diving at age 12.
General Interest
Other information
RETIREMENT
He retired from competition in August 2017. (diving.org.au, 17 Aug 2017)

COACHING
In 2017 he took up a diving coach role at the South Australian Sports Institute [SASI]. (revolutionise.com.au, 16 Feb 2017)

FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO AUSTRALIA
Born in South Africa, his family moved to Australia when he was age 12, settling first in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. (RoweyandBicks Twitter page, 16 Jul 2016)
Further Personal Information
Higher education
Construction - Texas A&M University: College Station, TX, USA
General Interest
Famous relatives
His mother competed in gymnastics at world championship level, representing South Africa. (aggieathletics.com, diving.asn.au, 31 Dec 2008)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
He was encouraged to try the sport at school after he broke both his hands at age nine doing gymnastics. "I actually started as a gymnast, and did that for about seven years before I started diving. It was very easy to pick up."
International Debut
Year
2006
Competing for
Australia
Location
Malaysia
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Coach, Engineer, Motivational Speaker
General Interest
Injuries
He underwent shoulder surgery in late 2016, causing him to miss the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. (ors.sa.gov.au, 30 May 2017)

In October 2015 he was suffering from back pain and it was diagnosed that his L5 S1 lumbar sacral joint in his lower back had shifted a few millimetres and was touching on the sciatic nerve, resulting in a loss of feeling in his right leg. He had to stay in bed for six weeks to recover. (rio2016.olympics.com.au, 17 Aug 2016)

He had a shoulder reconstruction in late 2012 while studying in the United States of America. (diving.asn.au, 01 Jun 2013)
Further Personal Information
Languages
Afrikaans, English
General Interest
Memorable sporting achievement
Competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (rio2016.olympics.com.au, 17 Aug 2016; RoweyandBicks Twitter page, 16 Jul 2016)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Semifinal 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 3m Springboard 368.35
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
16 2015 Kazan, RUS 3m Springboard 412.45 
4 2015 Kazan, RUS 3m Springboard Synchro 310.02 
12 2015 Kazan, RUS 3m Springboard Synchro 387.69
11 2013 Barcelona, ESP 3m Springboard 420.75
Preliminary round 2011 Shanghai, CHN 1m Springboard 340.85
Preliminary round 2011 Shanghai, CHN 3m Springboard 383.95
Preliminary Round 2009 Rome, ITA 1m Springboard 327.65
Preliminary Round 2009 Rome, ITA 3m Springboard 332.70
Preliminary Round 2009 Rome, ITA 3m Springboard Synchro 367.17
7 2007 Melbourne, AUS 3m Springboard Synchro 389.55
Preliminary Round 2007 Melbourne, AUS 1m Springboard 323.55
Grand Prix
Rank Year Venue Event Result
16 2016 Gatineau, QC, CAN 3m Springboard 338.60
4 2015 Gatineau, QC, CAN 3m Springboard 466.00
3 2015 Gold Coast, QLD, AUS 3m Springboard Synchro 373.41
9 2015 León, MEX 3m Springboard 418.05
10 2014   3m Springboard  
8 2014 Guanajuato, MEX 3m Springboard 401.90
7 2014 Madrid, ESP 3m Springboard 411.45
2 2014 Madrid, ESP 3m Springboard Synchro 395.49
4 2014 Rostock, GER 3m Springboard 425.05
17 2014 San Juan, PUR 3m Springboard 327.65
30 2011   3m Springboard  
12 2011 Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA 3m Springboard 362.15
7 2011 Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA 3m Springboard Synchro 332.76
11 2011 Montreal, QC, CAN 3m Springboard 411.20
2 2011 Montreal, QC, CAN 3m Springboard Synchro 371.49
39 2009   3m Springboard  
9 2009 Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA 3m Springboard 407.25
48 2008   3m Springboard  
12 2008 Shenzhen, CHN 3m Springboard 361.50
13 2007 Madrid, ESP 3m Springboard Synchro 336.00
13 2007 Rome, ITA 3m Springboard Synchro 314.97
17 2006 Rostock, GER 3m Springboard Synchro 230.13
World Series
Rank Year Venue Event Result
6 2016 Beijing, CHN 3m Springboard Synchro 277.95
6 2016 Dubai, UAE 3m Springboard Synchro 272.37