Courtesy: LSU Athletics
BATON ROUGE – LSU diver Juan Celaya-Hernandez and his partner Yahel Castillo were awarded the 2020 National Sport Award by the Mexican Olympic Committee on Thursday.
“What a terrific honor it is for Juan and Yahel to be selected for this award by the Comite’ Olimpico Mexicano” said LSU head diving coach Doug Shaffer. “Their hard work and dedication is truly admirable.”
Celaya-Hernandez and Castillo won the award, against 96 participants across all Olympic sports, based on their success on the boards on the International stage.
On the international stage, Celaya-Hernandez started his 2019 summer off in Kazan, Russia in the FINA Diving World Series on the Three-Meter Synchro. Celaya-Hernandez, along with Castillo, earned a bronze medal in the event, kick starting what would be a very successful summer.
At the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, Korea, the duo of Celaya-Hernandez and Castillo claimed another bronze medal for Mexico with a score of 413.94. Their third-place finish at the World Championships earned the duo a spot at the Tokyo Olympics, which will now take place in the summer of 2021.
The two would go on to claim the top spot in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru with a score of 429.81. Celaya-Hernandez also won two individual medals in Peru. He won the gold medal on the One-Meter Springboard with a score of 435.60. He then earned the silver on the Three-Meter Springboard, diving to a score of 458.30.
Celaya-Hernandez will be back on the boards on November 6, inside the LSU Natatorium as the Tigers host the Crimson Tide of Alabama to kick start the new season.
