'I'm just trying to enjoy every last second' – SA diver Julia Vincent aims to end career on Olympic high

To suggest that Julia Vincent has made a considerable splash in her career is probably not something she wants to hear. It’s a good thing for just about any other athlete except her. She’s a diver, after all. So, the reference is to celebrate the impression she has made.

Vincent has joined the list of three-time Olympians for Team South Africa. Only Sunette Viljoen, with four, has been to more Games as a female athlete. Vincent first got on to the Olympic board, in every sense, at Rio 2020. What followed was Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021) and now Paris 2024.

This will also be her last competition before she waves to the appreciative crowd and hangs up her swimming costume.

“Yes, this is it. I’m turning 30 this month, and am happy to move on to my next adventure,” Vincent said. “I knew from the start that 2024 was the point where I hang up the swim costume.

“Having said that, it’s not necessarily about the age. In fact, the older athletes seem to have been doing better at these Olympics so far.

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“[But] I’m getting married next year. I love what I do but it’s time to move on to something different. I love the sport and would probably keep going if I wasn’t worried about finances.

“I’m now at the stage where I want a full pay cheque every month and I want to live a little less structured. There’s a lot of sacrifice and I want to be at a stage where I don’t worry if I’m not at practice!”

Looking back over a decorated career, the US-based diver, born in Johannesburg and who speaks with a hybrid American-South African accent, is able to reflect on how she has developed over the years and is now an Olympian who feels she’s at home rubbing shoulders with the elite stars.

“My first Olympics (Rio 2016) I was still very much a little baby,” she said. “I didn’t feel as though I belonged. That changed five years later when I worked my way in to, and was selected to represent, Team SA in Tokyo.

“The result didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I still felt I was good enough to be there.

“Now, coming to Paris, I have a lot more joy for the sport than before. Since the last Olympics a lot went on in my life and I changed coaches, and after my last coach retired I found a new one. Just being part of a new team and training methods has brought new joy into the sport that I love so much.

“With this being the last competition of my career, I’m just trying to stay present and enjoy every last second.”

Julia Vincent of Team South Africa competes in the Women's 1m Springboard Preliminaries on day one of the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships at Fukuoka Prefectural Pool on 14 July 14 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan. (Photo: Adam Pretty / Getty Images)

Strong season