Yona Knight-Wisdom

Yona Roshen Knight-Wisdom (born 12 May 1995) is a Jamaican diver, who competed at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, and came second in the 1 metre springboard event at the 2019 Pan American Games. He was the first Jamaican male diver at an Olympic Games.

Yona Knight-Wisdom
Personal information
Full nameYona Roshen Knight-Wisdom
Born (1995-05-12) 12 May 1995
Leeds, United Kingdom
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight73 kg (161 lb)[1]
Sport
SportDiving
Medal record
Men's diving
Representing  Jamaica
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place2019 Lima1 m springboard

Personal life

Knight-Wisdom was born in Leeds, UK, but competes for Jamaica. His father, Trevor Wisdom, is from Jamaica and his mother, Grace Knight, is from Barbados.[1] Knight-Wisdom studied at Leeds Grammar School, and is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University, where he studied sport and exercise science.[2][3][1]

Career

Knight-Wisdom's diving career began in 2004; he has said that he took up the sport after seeing it at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.[4] He started diving for City of Leeds Diving club along with British divers Jack Laugher, Chris Mears, Rebecca Gallantree and Alicia Blagg.[2] Knight-Wisdom has said of himself that "I am a 190 cm tall, 90 kg heavy, black diver... Watch a diving event and that is not something you will see very often."[1][5] In 2012, Knight-Wisdom decided to represent Jamaica; he had been eligible to compete for Barbados or Great Britain, but had struggled to get in the British team.[5][6] Knight-Wisdom competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, making him Jamaica's first-ever male Commonwealth diving competitor;[lower-alpha 1] Knight-Wisdom finished fifth in the 1 metre springboard event, and eleventh in the 3 metre springboard event.[9][10] He competed at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships.[11]

Knight-Wisdom competed in the 2016 FINA Diving World Cup; after qualifying for the semi-finals by finishing seventeenth, he qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics, becoming the first male Jamaican diver at the Olympics, as well as the first male diver from any Caribbean nation.[3][12][5][lower-alpha 2] Knight-Wisdom finished second in the Diving World Cup final.[12] After qualifying for Rio 2016, Knight-Wisdom was named Leeds Beckett University Sportsman of the Year for 2016.[13]

Knight-Wisdom came second in the 1 metre springboard event at the 2019 Pan American Games.[14] He competed in the 3 metre springboard event at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics. He finished 15th in the semi-final, and did not progress to the final.[15] He competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where he came 5th in the Men's 1 metre springboard event[16] and 6th in the Men's 3 metre springboard event.[17]

Notes
  1. Betsy Sullivan competed for Jamaica in the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[7][8]
  2. Betsy Sullivan competed for Jamaica in the 1972 Olympic Women's 3 metre springboard.[4]

References
  1. Critchley, Mark (24 February 2016). "Yona Knight-Wisdom: Who is Jamaica's first Olympic diver and what's special about him?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  2. Sobot, Lee (4 March 2016). "Road to Rio: Usain Bolt's new buddy is making a splash for Jamaica". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  3. "Rio 2016: Diver Yona Knight-Wisdom will represent Jamaica at the Olympic Games". BBC News. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  4. "Jamaican diver Yona Knight-Wisdom hopes to make a big Olympic splash". The Economic Times. 25 February 2016.
  5. "Diver Knight-Wisdom Hopes Olympic Berth Will Inspire Jamaicans". Jamaica Gleaner. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  6. "Young diver drools at prospect of competing for Ja". The Jamaica Observer. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  7. "1966 Commonwealth Games". AllDownUnder.com. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  8. "Next generation of Olympic hopefuls take the plunge in city's pool of talent". The Yorkshire Post. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  9. "Glasgow 2014: Jamaica's Yona Knight-Wisdom makes history". BBC Look North. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  10. Official results book: Glasgow 2014 Aquatics (Diving), 30 July–2 August 2014 (PDF) (pdf). Glasgow 2014. pp. 16, 27. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  11. "Men's 1 metre springboardstartlist of the 2015 World Aquatic Championships". Omega Timing. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  12. "'I'm absolutely shocked,' says Jamaican diver after winning World Cup silver and place at Rio 2016 Olympic Games". Rio 2016. 23 February 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  13. "Jamaica's Rio-bound diver is university's Sportsman of The Year". Sports Max. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  14. "Diver Knight-Wisdom reveals financial challenges on his way to Olympic qualification". Sport Max. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  15. "Men's 3m Springboard Semifinal" (PDF). Olympics.com. 3 August 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  16. "Men's 1m Springboard - Final". results.birmingham2022.com. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  17. "Men's 3m Springboard - Final". results.birmingham2022.com. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
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