Ask Lucas Hafford-Deboer what he got up to in the school holidays, and you’re guaranteed to be impressed with his answer.

The year 4 Stanmore Public School student was in Perth at the Junior Elite National Diving Championships, winning four gold medals.

“I was hoping to come home with a couple of medals but to really just enjoy my first Junior Elite Nationals diving championships,” Lucas said.

“I didn’t expect that I would have such an amazing competition like this.”

On top of claiming first place in the Junior Boys (u/11) 1 Metre, 3 Metre, Platform and Synchro events, Lucas was named Junior Australian Male Diver of the Year and Most Outstanding new talent.

His mum, Sarah Hafford, couldn’t be prouder.

“The dedication and drive that he puts into his sport is amazing,” she said.

“He’s lucky to have an amazing diving coach - former Olympian Esther Qin - and he’s also part of the NSW High Performance Squad for Gymnastics. Between both sports, he trains six days a week, around 24 hours in total.”

“It’s a huge commitment, but he truly loves it.”

Ms Hafford knew Lucas had great potential but concedes she didn’t expect him to be this good so young.

“It became clear early on that he had a natural ability to pick up sports quickly. He’s always looked up to his big sister, Ella, and loved copying whatever she was doing — that’s where it all started.”

It’s a lot of hard work, but Lucas says it’s a whole lot of fun as well.

“I love to flip, I love the squad that I train with, and I also love the diving community,” he said.

“I am loving springboard the most at the moment and my favourite dive is a front 2.5 pike on 1m.”

“And synchro, with my partner Kayden, is also a lot of fun.”

The Principal of Stanmore Public, Ben Heinecke, said Lucas was a great role model, even at such a young age.

“We’re incredibly proud of Lucas. His dedication and hard work are an inspiration to everyone at Stanmore Public School, and we’re excited to be following his diving career into the future,” Mr Heinecke said.

So, what does the future hold?

“I am hoping to go to a Junior World Championships when I am around 14 years old, and then I will try to make my way to the Olympics,” Lucas said.

This is a young man who is certainly not afraid of heights.