WINTER SENIOR NATIONALS

The latest information for 2021 winter senior nationals.
Contact Jeff Feeney at jeff@diving.ca

INFO

+ January 12th, 2021

(View the Return to Diving Guidelines)

In preparation for the re-opening of sport and recreation facilities, and the restart of diving programs across the country, Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) and its aquatic partners are taking several steps to ensure that the return to aquatic sports is as safe as possible.

DPC is collaborating with Canada Artistic Swimming, Swimming Canada, and Water Polo Canada in developing general requirements for the return to training in an indoor aquatic environment. The purpose of this working group is to develop effective common guidelines to assist members and clubs in a safe return to aquatic facilities. In addition to the general guidelines, specific return to sport information and recommendations for each aquatic discipline will be provided.

“Our athletes are eager to get back to training and are more than happy to conform to any guidelines and health protocols that will allow them back into the pool. We’re aware that other countries are already training, and with the postponed Olympic Games looming, there is a clear urgency to get back into the water so that we can keep our competitive edge,” says Mitch Geller, Chief Technical Officer of DPC.

The national guidelines and diving-specific recommendations document will be shared with DPC’s provinces and clubs so that it can be used as a reference when working with provincial and local sport and health authorities to design a safe return to sport environment, recognizing that training environments will need to be modified as required to meet local safety guidelines.

“Each diving facility is different; therefore, it will be important for each club to follow the guidelines while also ensuring that all return to diving plans adhere to the municipal, provincial and national health guidelines and restrictions,” says Penny Joyce, Chief Operating Officer of DPC.

The guidelines will include information on physical distancing, personal hygiene, how to arrive and depart from facilities, as well as instructions for using sport-specific equipment and training spaces safely. Guidelines for coaches to mitigate risk will also be included. The return to diving in Canada will be a phased approach, beginning once municipal, provincial and federal regulations permit the resumption of activity. For Canadian diving, the first phase of re-opening will target the return of a small group of top athletes, such as those training at training institutes and other Olympic Games hopefuls training in high performance club settings.

The aquatic working group and each sport will continue to develop, update and share the guidelines as the re-opening of sport develops across the country. Triathlon Canada and the Lifesaving Society are also participating in this initiative.

RETURN TO SPORT

The four Aquatics Canada sport organizations (Canada Artistic Swimming, Diving Plongeon Canada, Swimming Canada and Water Polo Canada) are committed to a safe and healthy return to the pool for all aquatic sport participants. To that end, the four sports have created a joint working group to share information, best practices and align in our shared belief that a safe return is possible, and that the health of our communities remains our top priority.

+ Return to Aquatics Training – May 29th, 2020
+ Return to Diving – July 21st, 2020
+ FINA Back to Water Guidelines – August 5th, 2020

FORMS

Please visit our Policies & Forms section.

UPDATES

Diving Canada is continually keeping abreast of important information available on the COVID-19 (coronavirus) in order to update planning and preparation for upcoming domestic and international events. The most recent updates will be posted below:

+ June 18th, 2020
+ April 21st, 2020
+ April 1st, 2020
+ March 24, 2020
+ March 19th, 2020
+ March 17th, 2020
+ March 13th, 2020
+ March 12th, 2020

IMPORTANT: Please note that Diving Plongeon Canada and the provincial sections made the decision to cancel the remainder of the 2020 competition season, including all national qualifying events and the junior national championships. We have not yet ruled out the possibility of holding a summer senior national championship.

Cancelled events:
+ Polar Bear Classic, Winnipeg (March 19-22)
+ HPAD Training Camp, Montreal (April 14-18)
+ International Youth Diving Meet, Dresden (April 23-26)
+ Canadian Diving Olympic Trials, Windsor (May 21-24)

Postponed events:
+ FINA Diving World Series, Kazan (March 20-22)
+ FINA Diving World Series, London (March 27-29)
+ FINA Diving World Cup, Tokyo (April 21-26)
+ FINA Diving Grand Prix, Windsor (May 14-17)
+ FINA Diving Grand Prix, Malaysia (June 5-7)
+ Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (July 24 – August 9)

REFERENCES:

Health Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html
World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Government of Canada advice on mass gatherings: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/mass-gatherings-risk-assesment.html
Government of Canada Travel Advice & Advisories: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

Jennifer Abel (Laval, QC) won gold in the women’s 3M springboard event and added a second gold medal along with teammate François Imbeau-Dulac (St-Lazare, QC) in the mixed 3m synchro springboard event on Sunday, the final day of the competition at the FINA/CNSG Diving World Series event in Montreal.

Abel took gold after leading for much of the women’s 3m springboard event at the Olympic Sports Centre. The 28-year-old was able to recover from a tough second dive, which dropped her to fourth and scored a cumulative score of 363.00 points.

“The second dive is the one that I always hesitate a little bit on, that’s why it’s in the second spot,” Abel said. “Once it’s over, I know I can put the pedal to the metal and go get lots of points. This morning was a little tougher for me. I am really happy to have been able to deal with it, put it behind me and come back strong for the final.”

Mariia Poliakova of Russia took silver with 320.25 points and Anabelle Smith of Australia finished third with a combined score of 317.25 points.

Abel was also confident she could overcome her semifinal result where she scored 273.95 and finished third.

“I had no doubts. I was able to put it behind me,” said Abel. “Like I’ve been saying in the last few days, I’ve really been working on technical points that will get me closer to my objectives and become the best diver I can be. Today, I really wanted to work on those, maybe risk missing a little but I knew that in the afternoon, I’d be more awake, more warmed up. And that’s what happened.”

Pamela Ware (Montreal, QC), who was first after the 3m springboard semifinal, finished fifth with a combined score of 311.55.

On the men’s side, Vincent Riendeau (Beaconsfield, QC) just missed the podium in the 10m platform event scoring 439.75 points, finishing 28.35 points behind Russia’s Aleksandr Bodnar who won bronze.

“I had a small miss on my last dive, it’s a new dive for me,” said Riendeau. “There was more adrenaline than usual, I finished a little higher so I missed my entry. I’ll have to work on that for the next World Series, where there’s a little bit more adrenaline during that dive.”

Abel and Imbeau-Dulac concluded the festivities in Montreal leading wire-to-wire in the mixed 3m synchro springboard event compiling a combined score of 314.52 points.

“I am so happy to have been able to perform like this, I really don’t think I could have done any better,” said Abel. “I am even happier to have won three gold medals at home, in front of my family, and really show them what I am capable of doing.”

Thomas Daley and Grace Reid of Great Britain finished second with 309.57 points and Mexico’s Osmar Olvera Ibarra and Dolores Hernandez Monzon took bronze with a combined score of 283.20.

“Tonight’s gold medal was a great way for me to change the script of the last two days and to finish on a high note,” Imbeau-Dulac said. “We had very little time to train together but we knew we simply had to have faith in each other and we’d finish with a smile on our faces.”

Canada finished this first stop of the World Series circuit with 8 medals including 6 gold and 2 bronze. Finishing first in the medal standings ahead of Russia and Great Britain.

Up next for Canada’s top divers on the FINA/CNSG Diving World Series circuit is a stop in Kazan, Russia (March 20-22).

Last season, Canada won 16 medals on the FINA/CNSG Diving World Series, including 9 bronze, 6 silver, and 1 gold. Since 2007, the FINA Diving World Series has been the premier international circuit for diving with stops in different cities around the world. In 2020, the Diving World Series is featured in Montreal (CAN) Kazan (RUS) and London (GBR).

Full results can be found here: https://www.omegatiming.com/2020/fina-cnsg-diving-world-series-montreal-live-results

Meaghan Benfeito (Montreal, QC) and Philippe Gagné (Ville Mont-Royal) both won gold medals on Saturday during the second day of competition at the FINA/CNSG Diving World Series event in Montreal.

Gagné became the first Canadian male diver to win a gold medal at a World Series event since Alexandre Despatie in 2010.

Vincent Riendeau (Beaconsfield, QC) and Caeli McKay (Calgary, AB) capped off Day 2 of competition with a bronze in the mixed 10m synchro platform event.

Benfeito led her semifinal group in the 10m platform event scoring 359.75 points and followed it up with a cumulative score of 355.10 points in the final to win gold. Russia’s Iuliia Timoshinina took silver with 347.40 points while Pandelela Pamg of Malaysia scored 337.55 points to take bronze at the Olympic Sports Centre.

“I got gold, I had a good performance but it’s not the performance I was hoping for. But I’ll learn from this,” Benfeito said. “I think it’s important to learn from this. It happens. Yes, I am disappointed but it’s a takeaway for me. It’s not a bad thing to live through this type of situation, you never know what’s going to happen. I certainly don’t wish it happens again, so I will try and fix this as best I can. You learn when you lose, not when you win.”

The 30-year-old, who won a bronze medal in the 10m platform event at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, scored 70.40 points on her first dive leaving her in fourth place but managed to move into second on her second dive with 79.50 points. Benfeito then scored 66.00 on her third dive to move into first place and did not relinquish the top spot scoring 86.40 and 52.80 on her fourth and fifth dives respectively to secure the gold.

“I knew I was diving pretty well the entire competition,” said Benfeito. “My first dive wasn’t as well done but it was still in the zone to get the points. The fourth dive is my best dive. I know I can do it well and to nail it like that, in competition, at home, it’s a great feeling. I wasn’t looking at the scoreboard, I didn’t know how many points I needed but I knew that if I finished heads up, it should be enough.”

Gagné credited his performance in the semifinal of the 3m springboard event for his success in the final. The 22-year-old was fourth after his first dive in the semifinal scoring 78.20 points, but moved up to third with a score of 69.00 on his second dive and then vaulted to the top spot on his third dive with 89.30 points and maintained the top seed with a score of 85.75 points on his fourth dive. Gagné maintained the top spot with scores of 73.10 and 78.75 on his fifth and sixth dives of the semifinals.
“The semifinals really gave me confidence for the final,” Gagné said. “I would say that normally when I make a World Series final, a podium isn’t impossible but it’s still very very difficult. But I think that winning the semifinal today really gave me confidence for tonight’s final.”

In the final, Gagné maintained his spot atop the podium throughout the six dives finishing with a cumulative score of 471.30. Jack Laugher of Great Britain took silver with 431.05 points and American Mike Hixon finished with 425.65 points for bronze.

Gagné knew he had to nail his final dive to secure the gold.

“I knew that if I nailed the dive, the gold medal was waiting for me,” he said. “Just like I know I can do it. It’s what we do in practice, hundreds of times so that in competition, we’re totally comfortable with it. In the end, you just don’t want to make a little mistake.”

Riendeau and McKay were in second through the first two dives of the mixed 10m synchro platform event, but dropped to third on their third dive and managed to hang on to the bronze medal with a combined score of 306.54 points.

“There were only four teams but all very strong teams so we’re happy with the result,” said Riendeau. “We weren’t able to practice as much as we would have wanted before the event. We only made a few little adjustments before the competition.”

Added McKay: “It was a very positive way to finish the day, I wanted to have fun with Vincent, I wanted to show my fans what I’m capable of doing.”

A total of 71 athletes representing 12 of the world’s top diving nations will perform their best artistic and athletic exploits to earn a spot on the podium and earn a chance to ascend the world rankings this weekend (February 28-March 1) in Montreal.

Last season, Canada won 16 medals on the FINA/CNSG Diving World Series, including 9 bronze, 6 silver, and 1 gold. Since 2007, the FINA Diving World Series has been the premier international circuit for diving with stops in different cities around the world. In 2020, the Diving World Series is featured in Montreal (CAN) Kazan (RUS) and London (GBR).

Full results can be found here: https://www.omegatiming.com/2020/fina-cnsg-diving-world-series-montreal-live-results