Reid takes inspiration from former First Lady during ‘down time’

Banana bread and Michelle Obama are helping Edinburgh diver Grace Reid keep a sense of perspective as she plunges deeper into the build-up to next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

The 22-year-old has admitted she sometimes struggled for motivation in the wake of her major breakthrough in 2018, when she was crowned both European and Commonwealth Games champion.

Now she believes that maintaining outside interests – be it baking or being inspired by the former US First Lady – are crucial to the run-in which continues with the World Diving Series in London from 17 May.

Reid said: “I think it’s so important to keep some of what I call my protected time, and when I got a little bit lax with it recently it really affected my diving.

“If you don’t switch off from your sport at all it gets a little bit unhealthy. It’s simple things but baking and reading have become important to me and I’ve learned to make a mean banana bread.”

Reid, who originally broke through with her then-synchro partner Tom Daley when they won European gold in 2016, has long tried to strike a balance when it comes to her commitment to her sport. But while she has cultivated a loyal social media following with clips of some of her training failures, she remains as determined as ever to make a mark at what would be her second Olympics in Tokyo next year. Reid, pictured, advanced to the final of the 3m springboard competition in Rio where she finished eighth, and she is currently giving equal priority to individual and synchro disciplines as the jostling for qualification places begins.

“I’ve always loved to chuck myself off diving boards but in a sport in which you’re striving for perfection it’s very easy to get despondent and convince yourself you’re not doing as well as you want,” she said.

“That’s why I think it’s important not to be too hard on myself and to shrug it off when things don’t always go as planned in training.

“I’m enjoying myself more. There is more expectation on me but with expectation comes confidence and experience. I’m just trying to enjoy it and right now I feel like I’m in a really great place with my sport.”