Diving Australia athlete Emily Boyd recalls the knock back that turned her career around

Somewhere in Emily Boyd’s Alexandra Hills home is a thanks, but no thanks letter from Diving Australia informing her she had missed the national talent identification squad. It was a moment which was to act as a flash of inspiration in her career.

Somewhere in Emily Boyd’s Alexandra Hills home is a thanks, but no thanks letter from Diving Australia informing her she hadmissed the national talent identification squad.

It was almost a decade ago and the past student of Carmel College and St Rita’s Primary School was disappointed at the time by her omission, but not gutted enough to give up on her diving dream.

“I still have that letter that said “thanks for trying but next time …,’’ the 23-year-old reflected.

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She said the letter still acts as motivation anytime she confronts adversity in the sport, like when injury hijacked her CommonwealthGames and Olympic Games’ dreams.

“It is my dream to compete for Australia at those,’’ the English-born Boyd said.

“It (setbacks) has all made me stronger as a diver and mentally stronger as well.’’

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Later in her career, Boyd was given another four week trial with the Diving Australia squad and from there went from the QASinto the elite AIS diving squad.

Late last year Boyd claimed a gold medal in an international Grand Prix in the 10m platform and said she was well placed to give diving her best ahead of team selection for this year’s world championship team.

Emily Boyd.

“I now have more belief in my ability, I feel stronger and I have a good team behind me,’’ said Boyd, who was fourth at the 2013 world championships.

Boyd has been hard at the sport since arriving in Brisbane as a schoolgirl from England.

A gymnast in the Old Dart, Boyd asked her mother one week before the family flew from England to Australia if she could take-up diving.

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Her mum told her to wait until she started her new life Down Under and when Boyd arrived in Brisbane, she soon attended a school holiday diving camp at Chandler.

Australian Youth Olympic Festival action .

It was one of the first things she did in her new home city.

She said after being a gymnast, landing head first instead of feet first was “was weird at first’’.

“But I have not looked back since,’’ she said.

For about one year Boyd did diving “once a week, mainly for fun’’ but then things became a little more serious.

“I did not want to do it for fun. I wanted to try and make something of myself.’’

So she trialled for the elite national talent identification squad and was turned down, but later was accepted for another trial which changed the course of her sporting career.