Claude-Olivier Lisé-Coderre captures bronze at the World Junior Championships!
Montréal, November 26th, 2024 – Claude-Olivier Lisé-Coderre made his mark at his first World Junior Championships! In complete control of his abilities, the Canadian snuck his way to the third step of the podium in the 14-15 age group 10 m event on Tuesday in Rio.
Lisé-Coderre surged his way to a well-deserved bronze medal after finishing eighth in qualifying. A positive sign for the three-time gold medallist at the Canadian Junior Trials last October.
The finalists entered the decisive round with the cumulative points from their first four preliminary jumps. The Quebecer began the final with 166.3 points and took the lead after his first dive with a score of 61.6.
“I was a bit disappointed after the preliminaries, but I reminded myself that my fundamentals were on point and since I’m at the World Championships, I must enjoy every moment here, so I wanted to give it my all and stay calm. I kept that mindset throughout the final,” shared Lisé-Coderre.
The 15-year-old diver remained in the running for the podium until the very end of the 12-competitor final, tallying a total of 402.20 points. Ukrainian Mark Hrytsenko won gold with a total score of 424.35 points, followed by Mexico’s Mateo Zacal Nolasco Zenteno with 404.15 points.
“I was in the zone from the first dive to the last. I didn’t get to experience much, I was too focused! I thought it would be more stressful, but I kept a cool head”, declared the bronze medallist, particularly proud of his triple somersault and half forward pike.
“In my opinion, my best dive was my front. I recently added it to my list in training so that I could perform it here in Rio, and to execute it well, it’s a great achievement!”
“What made the difference was my attitude. I really tried to concentrate, stay calm and tell myself it was like training. I think I achieved that in the final today.”
Also in action, Saskatchewan’s Kash Tarasoff placed 5th with 378.45 points after posting the best performance of the preliminary round earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Lila Stewart took part in the 1 m event in the 16-18 age group on Tuesday. She was knocked out after the qualifying round, finishing 16th with a total of 327.90 points.
The Saskatchewan native is also competing in her first World Junior Championships. She won two gold medals at the Canadian Junior Trials, including a triumph in the 1 m event. She’ll be back on Wednesday for the 16-18 age group 3 m competition. Samuel Talbot and Arnaud Corbeil will team up in the 14-18 age group 10 m synchronized event.