SOUTHEND Diving starlet Tyler Humphreys is the new Sofia Diving Cup champion after a gold medal performance in Bulgaria.

The 15-year-old from Shoebury was part of the 15-strong team (aged 10-16) that travelled abroad for its first overseas trip earlier this month.

And they returned from the Club International Diving event with a champion, and several gold medal winners.

There was also a gold medal for Marney Easen and silver and bronze medals for Sam Mansfield.

And coach Shan Veasey said she was very pleased with the team’s display.

“Overall the team did very well, both in terms of coping with diving in a totally new open air environment and with their individual performances,” she said.

“To come home with two gold medallists is an added bonus.”

Tyler, the club’s Junior International diver, is becoming an established diver on the big stage and excelled to win gold in the 1m and the 3m springboard events, as well as taking the title of Sofia Diving Cup 2017 champion.

Marney, also 15, from Wickford, achieved a personal best performance on the 3m springboard, with her score securing gold on the international stage for the first time.

And 16-year-old Sam put in two confident performances that demonstrated his continuing consistency, firstly on the platform to win silver and then on 1m springboard to win bronze.

The club’s divers were competing in temperatures of up to 35 degrees, with many competing in an outdoor pool for the first time.

Team bosses added they were pleased at the manner in which the young divers adapted to somersaulting and twisting in the sunshine.

The first day of the four day tour was spent acclimatising to the pool and environment before heading straight into the competitions.

However, some of the club’s youngest competitors had some different weather conditions to contend with.

Aged between ten and eleven, Ruby Day, Keira Jones and Evie Ledger found a sudden change in conditions meant the event was delayed due to high winds.