Blake Aldridge believes he has proved his doubters, including himself, wrong after setting a personal best in the 10m platform at the National Cup in Sheffield this weekend.
The Crystal Palace diver had an outstanding championships, coming third in the 3m final having topped the preliminaries and then scoring 465.60 in the heats of the 10m before coming fourth in the final.
The results secured him a spot on the Grand Prix circuit this year and at the European Championships, and the 27-year-old could hardly hide his excitement.
"I made myself quite proud," he said.
"I had a target of 450 points in the 10m and to get 465.60 and set a personal best at 27 years of age is pretty promising.
"It shows there is still life in the old dog yet just as I thought it was all coming to an end.
"Everybody had written me off and thought I was finished, including myself, but this proves that I am confident and that I can compete with the best again."
Two other Crystal Palace divers also had successful weekends.
Hayley Sage came second in the 1m final, while Jessica Williams was runner-up in the 3m final.
The pair then teamed up to come second in the 3m Synchro final.
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