Lucy Hawkins taken aback by the occasion following her Commonwealth Games debut

By James Reid in Birmingham

LUCY Hawkins is a British junior diving champion and has a world junior medal under her belt, but nothing could prepare for her for a debut Commonwealth Games.

At a packed Sandwell Aquatics Centre, the 22-year-old held her nerve to come through qualifying in the 10m platform before finishing 12th in the final.

And with her family having made the trip up to Birmingham for the event, she admitted that she had been taken aback by the occasion.

She said: “It’s crazy, it’s a big one to come into but the fact it’s in Birmingham, my family are there, it’s reassuring to know they’re in the crowd.

“It does feel like a home Games. England are obviously loud but that’s the loudest event I’ve ever had.

“It was definitely scary but it’s cool to be there.”

Hawkins initially got into the sport by diving off cliffs while on holiday with her brothers, with the family originally hailing form Herbrandston in Pembrokeshire, although they have been based in Southampton for several years now.

The big ambition coming into the event was to make it to the evening’s final, and after achieving that, everything else was a bonus for Hawkins.

She added: “This morning was more pressure, so I just wanted to come into the final and enjoy it.

“In the earlier session there’s that pressure of having to make the final which I find a lot harder.”

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