Ciro Mejia resets and wins gold on the platform, Michelle McLeod surprises herself with 3m springboard gold
August 18th 2022 – Ontario’s Ciro Mejia and British Colombia’s Michelle McLeod both had an exhilarating day Thursday at the Canada Games in Niagara. One of them put a poor performance behind and the other surprised even herself, and both were crowned champion of their respective event.
Ciro Mejia never looked back after a disappointing 5th place in the preliminary round. He put the result behind him and won the 10m final with a cumulative score of 308.00, earning his second gold medal of the Games, having already tasted gold in the Mixed Team event on Tuesday with his Ontario A teammates.
He edged out Saskatchewan’s Kash Tarasoff (292.05) in second place and Quebec’s Arnaud Goulet (287.00) in third, who was also a silver medalist in the Mixed Team event.
“It’s a great accomplishment for me to be able to come back”, explained Mejia.
“I missed a few of my dives this morning. I was still able to earn enough points to make the final but I wasn’t very proud of my performance. It wasn’t my finest moment”, he added.
Between the preliminary and medal round, he took the time to regain his focus. He felt ready when he climbed atop the platform for the evening final.
“It was a big challenge. I wanted to be sure that I was going to hit each and every one of my dives. I knew I could do it and I wanted to show it in competition”, said Mejia.
His final was the stuff of fairy tales.
“My family was in the stands. I could also hear my teammates. It’s a special thing when we can share moments like this with our friends and family. I’m really happy to have experienced it today”, he shared.
McLeod surprises herself in the women’s 3m springboard
For British Colombia’s Michelle McLeod, the 3m springboard gold medal came as a bit of a surprise. A 10m platform specialist, she was already thrilled with the silver medal she had won in that event the previous day. She never could have imagined doing better on the springboard.
“I am so excited. I really wasn’t expecting this! It was the best kind of surprise. I didn’t have a ton of expectations today when I showed up for the final. I was here to have fun but, in the end, I put down a great performance”, shared McLeod.
She was awarded 279.95 points, the day’s highest score awarded by the judges. Quebec’s Sonya Palkhivala, gold medalist in the artistic diving event held earlier this week, was not far behind, taking silver with a cumulative score of 276.50 points.
Jordane Legault, also hailing from Quebec and silver medalist in the Mixed Team event, rounded out the podium in third place with 265.95 points.
McLeod never looked at the scoreboard throughout the event. She had no idea how tight the battle for gold was.
“I never look at the scoreboard or at other divers’ dives. I sit there, listening to my music and I focus on myself. It was incredibly loud after my last dive. I could hear my teammates screaming. I realized that I had won”, explained McLeod, who had nothing but great things to say about her experience in Niagara.
She is enjoying the competition’s friendly atmosphere and her delegation’s team spirit.
The Canada Games feature a total of 49 divers. Competitions continue until Sunday.
For complete results, visit : https://cg2022.gems.pro/Result/Event_List.aspx?Sport_GUID=b001398d-e27b-43d6-8f19-d1e2d259bdb8&GameDay_GUID=20bf6bbf-2c6f-4fa9-b72a-853ec026fb4b&SetLanguage=fr-CA