From death bed to diving board

Shakila Barabhuiya • Published 14 Jul 2011 15:30 0 Comments

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MEDAL-WINNING diver Chris Mears is on the brink of qualifying for the London Olympics despite an almost fatal illness two years ago.

Mears was on death's door after a diving accident left him fighting for his life during the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

But it seems like nothing is going to stop the former Willink pupil as he looks set to compete for Team GB at London 2012.

Mears, from Burghfield Common, was just 16 when he ruptured his spleen in a dive at the Aquatic Centre in Sydney.

He was rushed to hospital but the internal bleeding worsened his condition and doctors feared he might not make it through the operation to remove his spleen.

But he pulled through and, no doubt spurred on by visits from the Australian diving team, including Olympic gold medallist Matthew Mitcham, he made a full recovery and returned home after a month in intensive care.

It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Reading-born youngster, for whom the term 'triumphing through adversity' is highly applicable. Mears competes in three diving disciplines - one and three metre springboards and the three metre synchronised dive with partner Nick Robinson-Baker.

The whole incident has obviously had a massive effect on Mears' health, because now he is more susceptible to infections and viruses. And that came back to haunt him at last year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

His body took 10 days to incubate a viral infection and he was bed-ridden for six days. However, he still managed to compete despite having done no training and, in the end, was just a whisker off winning an unlikely bronze medal.

Mears put a positive spin on his experience, commenting: "To a certain extent I was gutted [to be ill] but I was happy with my performance. We got in there and I'd done no training in the pool. To do that going into the biggest meet of my life wasn't ideal but I dealt with it really well and ended up coming fourth and close to a medal.

"You've got to question, had I been ok, could I have got that medal?

"I think that's really positive that I could do that because if I go into a meet elsewhere and I'm not feeling well then I can say I've got some experience and I can still do really well."

Mears has obviously learnt from his experience and has gone from strength to strength in the last eight months.

The Southampton Diving Club member has had to make health and lifestyle changes in order to pursue his Olympic dream. He has been taking supplements to improve his immune system and is a lot stricter with his diet and recovery. For example, he never trains without eating and always has a milkshake immediately afterwards.

"It's all working really well now and I haven't been ill since the Commonwealths. I'm also a lot stronger in my body and my health in general."

He added: "My recovery method is quite strict but it really does help."

He also has no late nights and does not touch alcohol, despite turning 18 in February.

Fighting Fit

To prove that he is fighting fit, the former Willink pupil won his first senior medal at the FINA Grand Prix in Russia in February. Mears and his partner Robinson-Baker won a bronze medal in the 3m synchro with a total score of 416.46 - their highest score to date.

While it was a momentous occasion in itself, Mears will remember it for quite different reasons, as he explains: "It was absolutely amazing, especially as just before our event one of the synchro girls on our team actually hit her head on the board, which was devastating.

"She was a close friend of my synchro partner so it was really hard to get going and compete in the event. It actually felt surreal.

"So that was another thing that got in our way but we managed to put it behind us and we put in a really good performance. As well as being my first senior medal, it was also something I will never forget.

"We put in a great performance especially considering the circumstances so I was really really pleased."

Though the pair have only been competing together for a year, they know each other inside out.

"It's really good because he's a very experienced diver and he's been to Beijing [Olympics]," said Mears. "We've done quite a few events now and we know each other like the back of the hand.

"I know that I can stand on the end of the board and that my partner's going to do a great dive, which gives me even more confidence to nail my dive."

Mears has shown that nothing will hold him back, with 2011 set to be one of his most successful years so far.

He has been getting plenty of international experience under his belt having competed in three world series events in Russia, China and Mexico and then closer to home in the British Gas National Cup, where he won gold and bronze medals.

At the recent British Gas Championships, he won his second consecutive gold in the 3m synchro, silver in the 1m springboard and bronze in the 3m springboard, earning him a GB place for the World Championships in Shanghai, which start this Saturday.

Second only to the Olympics, the World Championships could be the most important event of Mears' life. If he finishes 18th or above in his individual event he will definitely be in the squad to compete in London next year.

Speaking exclusively to the Chronicle ahead of the World Championships, Mears said: "This is going to be the biggest competition of my life. You could question whether the Commonwealth Games is bigger but for me 2012 rests on these championships.

"I need to do as much training as possible to make sure I'm in tip-top condition."

He added: "I just want to put in a good performance with Nick. We might be competing a new dive, which'll give us some experience and I'll just hope for the best."

His parents Paul and Katy will be proudly watching at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre hoping their son fulfils his Olympic dream.

However, as seems to be the story of his career, Mears will not have it easy in the Far East.

As well as competing against the best in the world, the 18-year-old will also have to contend with the weather conditions. The venue is outdoors and with the forecasters predicting heavy rain and thunderstorms, it will be another new hurdle to overcome.

"I've never competed in a thunderstorm so it'll be a test of mental strength as well as the capability to do the dive."

But given his past triumphs and his ability to thrive in trying circumstances, Mears should have no problem adapting to the conditions.

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