Nikita Hains is a diver and Olympian who was awarded a Tier 2 Scholarship within the 2022 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program.
Nikita was born in 2000 and started out as a gymnast in her hometown of Perth at age 3. She then applied her gymnastics conditioning to the sport of diving at age 13 and made her international debut just two years later. Early success prompted her to move to Adelaide to train at the National Training Centre in 2019 under coach Rick Schavone.
Nikita focusses primarily on the 10m platform individual and synchronised disciplines and won more than 10 international medals between 2016 and 2020, as well as national titles in 2018, 2020 and 2021. She also won gold at the 2019 Oceania Championships in the 10m individual platform and, in doing so, earned Australia a place at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Unfortunately for Nikita, she could not compete in the 10m platform synchronised event in Tokyo as COVID-19 forced Australia to withdraw from the qualification event. She did, however, record excellent results at FINA Grand Prix individual events in 2020 and this propelled her to the Olympic Trials where a personal best earned her selection for the Tokyo Olympic Games and saw her fulfil a life-long dream.
Nikita is determined to reach the podium at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Olympic Games. The self-confessed coffee lover also aspires to become a doctor after completing her Bachelor of Biomedical Science.
“I am so grateful to be a recipient of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship for 2022. To have been chosen amongst a group of such talented athletes is humbling and I am thankful for the opportunity to connect with previous and current athletes in this prestigious group. SAHOF’s support and recognition of my endeavors is extremely appreciated.” – Nikita Hains on being selected as a 2022 Tier 2 Scholarship Holder.
“Dream.”
Awards, Honours & Achievements
- 2018: Australian Junior National Championships – National Champion
- 2019: Oceania Championships – gold, 10m platform
- 2020: Australian National Championships – National Champion (synchronised)
- 2020: FINA Grand Prix, Madrid Spain – silver, 10m synchronised
- 2020: FINA Grand Prix, Madrid Spain – bronze, 10m platform
- 2020: Australian National Championships – National Champion, 10m synchronised and World Cup Trials
- 2020 (2021): Tokyo Olympic Games – Australian team member
- 2021: Australian National Championships – National Champion, 10m Synchronised and World Cup Trails
- 2021: Australian National Championships – silver, Olympic Qualifications for 10m platform
Bio picture credit Diving Australia
