Nixon Laing Returns from Injury, Wins Canadian Championship
Junior Development National Championships
Montréal, July 16, 2026 – In her first competition since she suffered a dislocated shoulder during training last March, Nixon Laing (South Surrey/White Rock) overcame her apprehensions to win the gold medal in the Group C 3m springboard competition on Thursday at the Junior National Development Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan.
“After injuring myself during a training camp in Mexico, I worked very hard to get back into top shape. I really had no expectations of winning the gold medal today, so I just took it one dive at a time, telling myself that I’d be happy with whatever result I achieved,” said Laing.
“To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive coming into the championships. I was nervous because it had been such a long time since I’d been in a diving competition. But in the end, it all went really well, and I’m very proud of myself.”
Laing quickly set the tone for the finals, obtaining a score of 54.00 on her very first dive. On her second, she received 53.20. They were the two highest scores of the entire finals.
The British Columbian finished the event with a total of 375.05 points.
“I’m really happy with the way I dove during the finals. I’ve trained really hard to be as consistent as possible, and I think I accomplished that,” she added.
Margaret Jeon (Forest City, 329.65) and Jane Lafreniere (Saskatoon, 327.55) both won silver medals, since Jeon is not eligible to represent Canada in international competitions. Blair Yan (iDive) collected bronze with 325.55 points.
In the boys’ Group D 1m event, Liam Pomerleau (ARO) managed to turn things around after struggling with his first two dives, ending the day with the gold medal. He capped off the finals with a score of 48.40 on his very last dive, finishing with a total of 321.05 points.
“Before the competition, I was a bit afraid to do my dives, but in the end, they all went well. This is my first Canadian Championships medal and I’m very proud of it. It represents all the hard work I’ve put in over the past few years,” said Pomerleau.
He was joined on the podium by Thomas Lachapelle (211.95) and Raphaël Plouffe(203.20), who both train with the L’Envol diving club.
In the girls’ Group B platform finals, Renatha Chavez (Regina) obtained the highest overall score (214.85). However, since she is not eligible to represent Canada in international competitions, she shared the top step of the podium with Kathy Li (iDive), who finished with a score of 209.15.
Kaila Myrfield-Wolfe (Saskatoon, 195.20) and Emmalyn Forrest (SFEC, 190.50) completed the podium.
In the day’s other competitions, Zander Dereniwski won the Group C handstand event, while Jasper Cunningham-Grav (BDA) took first place in the rip contest.
