Harrow's Kyle Kothari was on track for global diving glory when he won the European Junior Diving Championships and took bronze at the World Junior Championships three years ago.

But in 2015, the now 19-year-old suffered nerve damage to his shoulder from which it would take him two years to recover.

Kothari battled through long and arduous rehabilitation to come back in sublime form and take 10m individual silver at the Bolzano Grand Prix in July – his first competition back after the injury.

Now, the second year LSE student believes he has what it takes to make it to the Commonwealth Games and the Tokyo Olympics, despite so many setbacks.

“It’s been a long, slow recovery, but the belief that I still have a chance to make an Olympic team kept me committed to diving, I believed that was still possible,” he said.

“It wasn’t a case of not knowing if I would make it when I came back, I knew if I carried on I should be able to get there.

“It was tough, because the recovery process was so slow. You can mend a broken bone fairly quickly, but nerves take a long time to heal.

“At some points I didn’t know if it would get better, but when it did I got back to full-time training properly.

“It was a big relief when I got the Grand Prix medal, because my funding depended on me doing well.

“I was just aiming to make the final when I was there, because it was my first competition back for a good few years.”

Kothari, who was funded by the SSE Next Generation Scheme, is a member of Dive London and balances training at the London Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park with a geography and economics degree.

But this month he is flying over to Asia for the Kuala Lumpur and Singapore Grand Prix events, which he will use as preparation for the British National Championships in January – a crucial step en-route to the Commonwealth Games.

“The main thing next year is nationals, it’s so important because it’s qualifying for the Commonwealth Games, World Series, World Cup and European Games,” he added.

“A lot of selections ride on that performance so that’s where everyone is aiming to show what they can do.

“Competition will be pretty tough because there are five guys fighting for two spots, so we’ll see.

“Commonwealth Games and Tokyo 2020 were my main goals from when I first started diving, getting there is one thing but I think there is potential for me to medal at the Commonwealth Games if I get selected.

“That would be one of my aims and I don’t know about 2020, but if at the time I feel like I’ve got the chance I’ll be aiming to make an Olympic final.”

Since 2013, SSE is proud to make a difference to young people, their families and their communities, by investing in the future of sporting talent through the SSE Next Generation scheme. Keep up to date @YourSSE.