Laugher gains confidence from Kilimanjaro test

Ahead of the 2025 season, British diver Jack Laugher sought inspiration far from the pool – some 5,895 metres above sea level on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

- Kimberly Kwek

Together with teammate Noah Williams, Laugher climbed Africa's highest mountain in October 2024, two months after the Paris Olympics, where they both finished on the podium.

In Paris, Laugher claimed the men's 3m synchronised springboard bronze alongside Anthony Harding, while Williams earned a silver and a bronze in the men's 10m synchronised and 10m platform events respectively.

Laugher may be used to throwing himself off platforms and springboards while executing twists and tucks in mid-air, but this five-day trek up Kilimanjaro posed a very different challenge for him.

He said: "Going up Kilimanjaro for me and Noah was to test ourselves in something other than diving.

"We're so wrapped up in this little bubble of diving – I've never had a proper job; I've never really pushed myself in anything else because I've been so protected around my sport.

"So being able to go out and do something completely different really adds a lot to me, brings a lot of confidence in myself, knowing that I can do things that aren't just in this sport."