Andrea Spendolini-Siriex took 10m diving golds, then gave God the glory.,,,
Teenage diver Andrea Spendolini-Siriex won European and Commonwealth Games gold from 10 metres – then pointed on high to give God the glory.
The 17-year-old took the European crown only weeks after winning the women’s platform diving in Birmingham, and immediately posted Bible verses on social media as her inspiration.
Andrea, the daughter of First Dates restauranteur Fred Sirieix, told her Instagram followers: “God showed His might and strength and moved a huge mountain into the ocean. Emotions and fatigue were running high and in that moment I reflected on how far I had come.”
She added: “Mark 4: 37–41 Peace by still. This was the title for my competition yesterday. Peace of mind and stillness of water. God is good all the time and all the time God is good.”
After taking silver in the 10m synchro, she turned to a different Bible verse for inspiration. She said: “After a slight stumble on my part, I was reminded of Philippians 4:13: ‘We can do all things through Christ that strengthens us’.”
She also won bronze at the Commonwealth Games in the 10m mixed synchro event, and followed it with the 10m platform gold and mixed team bronze at the European Aquatics Championships in Rome.
Her medal triumphs came after a troubled start to 2022 in which she almost gave up diving.
She told BBC Radio 5: “I had quite a tough beginning of the year.
“I couldn’t do any of my dives. I was terrified of diving and I was really close to quitting because I was petrified of everything.
“But my team and my family just helped me get through it. I don’t think I would be here if it wasn’t for them.”
In Italy, her family and faith helped to overcome potentially crippling nerves.
“I could feel my heart beating out of my costume and I could feel it in my throat as well but I just needed to go for it, get that jump, get that twist, get in the pike shape, trust God and it just came out how I wanted it to come.”
Also at the Commonwealth Games, 21-year-old para-athlete Karé Adenegan took silver in the T33/34 100m – a wheelchair sprint for athletes with cerebral palsy – and praised God for the win while quoting Colossians 3:23–24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Adenegan also won two silver medals in Tokyo last year, when she said: “These feats cannot and do not satisfy. Only Jesus satisfies. The greatest achievement of this year has been falling in love with Jesus again.
“It may sound strange, but if only you knew what you could have, what is available to you: a love, joy, peace and satisfaction that isn’t based on performance. I’m no longer chasing after the wind of perceived success.”
She had another Bible verse in Tokyo, too, this time Philippians 3:8: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
