One of LSU’s most decorated divers is now an Olympian.
Juan Celaya-Hernandez, two-time SEC Male Diver of the Year including this past season, will team with partner Yahel Castillo to represent Mexico in the three-meter synchronized diving event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Celaya-Hernandez joins Guy Sandin (Puerto Rico, 1996) and Lizzie Cui (New Zealand, 2016) as Olympian divers from LSU. It also marks LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer’s second Olympian.
“It’s been a dream of Juan’s to qualify for an Olympic Games,” Shaffer said. “Today, this became a reality when Mexico officially announced their team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I am so proud and honored to have been a part of this journey with Juan. His pursuit and dedication have been relentless. Now I know his focus is to stand on the podium in Tokyo representing his family, his country and LSU.”
Celaya-Hernandez holds several LSU and SEC records in the one-meter and platform dive. He also has won five SEC championships, three on the one-meter springboard alone. He also currently holds the LSU record on the three-meter springboard.
At the end of the 2020-21 regular season, the SEC office announced Celaya-Hernandez as the Male Diver of the Year for the second time. His first came in his freshman year when he broke a school record in his first meet against Auburn on the three-meter. He has accumulated 13 SEC Male Diver of the Week honors and has made the All-SEC first team four times.
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