Sam Fricker

Samuel Fricker is an Australian diver. The Newcastle-born, eco-business founder and aspiring commerce student is one of the country's most promising young athletes. With a strong background in gymnastics and trampolining, Fricker began diving at age 11 in order to impress a girl he had a crush on at the time. Within his first year, he was already winning regional and national school titles. At just 12 years-old, Sam became a triple-gold medalist in the boys 12-13 years age category at the 2015 National Age Diving Championships, winning the 1m Springboard, 10m Platform and 3m Synchronised Springboard dives. He also placed second in the 3m Springboard. His stellar performance saw him take out the title of Diver of the Year in the 12-13 years category. He also caught the eye of recruiters from the New South Wales Institute of Sport's (NSWIS) diving program, who offered him a scholarship in the diving program. When he turned 14, he was granted funding through the Commonwealth Games Australia NSW Athlete Grant Program, making him their youngest ever recipient of the financial backing. Fricker's Olympic dreams came true at the 2021 Australian Open Championships, when he qualified himself a spot on the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo by finishing second in the 10m Platform. He made his Olympic debut at the age of 19, competing in the Men's 10m Platform in which he finished 28th. The young diver has won a slew of medals at junior national and international competitions including bronze at the 2018 FINA World Junior Championships in the Mixed Team Event. In 2019, Sam became the first Australian to ever win the Dresden Youth International Diving Meet in the Boys Platform. After earning a place on the Senior Australian Diving Team, Sam competed at the 2019 Oceania Diving Championships where he claimed silver in the 10m Platform. Fricker also competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, where he won a bronze medal in the Men's Synchronised 3m Springboard alongside his partner, Li Shixin. He placed 10th individually in the Men's 3m Springboard. Outside of the pool, Fricker is director of eco-startup Tsarian, which he founded when he was just 17-years-old. Tsarian, a venture born out of the shock Fricker felt upon viewing the infamous video of a turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nostril and struggling to breathe, produces eco-friendly, wheat-based straws as an alternative to other non-biodegradable material-based utensils. While he is the founder and director of the business, he credits his family for helping him with its management as he juggles his work, education and diving career.