Uxbridge College’s Georgia Ward is celebrating after winning three bronze medals in Sydney with Team GB in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

The 17-year-old diver, who is on a BTEC National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science, claimed bronze medals in individual 10m platform, 10m synchronised platform and 3m synchronised springboard.

Georgia, who trains with Crystal Palace Diving Club, said: “I’m over the moon I didn’t expect to go out there and get medals. I was aiming to get top five but I didn’t expect to win, especially as my synchro partners and I had never trained together.”

“It’s really hard to study and train, but the support I have had from my lecturers has been really good. My family have also been very supportive - you need them to be behind you. My parents take me everywhere and my brother and sister, who are 10 and 15, sometimes come along too. You have got to have the right mindset and be motivated and disciplined.”

Georgia, of Perivale, hopes to compete in the Rio 2016 Olympics following a number of recent successes. She attended an assessment camp at the end of last year, and is also in line to take part in the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

She said: “It would be amazing to get through to compete at Rio, I’d be speechless if I was picked.”

Georgia, who competed in gymnastics before turning to diving, trains for around 25 hours a week as well as studying. She is enquiring about diving scholarships at US universities which she is considering taking up when she finishes her qualification.

And despite her success on the high board she says: “The height of the platform is quite scary. I am quite scared of heights but you have just got to not think about it.”

Martina Ashton, Sports Lecturer at Uxbridge College and Georgia’s tutor, said: “It is great to see Georgia do so well in international competition by winning medals which is an amazing accomplishment. I know she will be so pleased as she can now see the benefit of all the training and sacrifices that she has to make to be able to be this good! “Georgia is an extraordinary student who is capable not just at diving but is working extremely well on her course where she is hoping to progress in education by gaining a scholarship in USA. She is a great ambassador for Uxbridge College and we all hope that she makes it to Rio in 2016!”

Georgia’s wins last year included the 1m and 3m synchro gold at the National Elite Junior Diving Championships. She also finished seventh at the European Junior Diving Championships, and 15th at the World equivalent in Adelaide.