Junior Trials: Second Gold Medal for Sonya Palkhivala
Fresh off a gold medal performance in Friday’s 1m springboard event, Sonya Palkhivala (PCDC) of Quebec was brimming with confidence as she entered the 3m final on Saturday, where she earned the top spot on the podium for the second time this weekend at the Junior Diving Trials, which are being held at the Claude Robillard Sports Centre in Montréal.
The 17-year-old clinched the gold medal with a score of 492.70, ahead of Toronto’s Katelyn Fung (480.15) and Quebec’s Julianne Boisvert (463.25).
“I feel good, but more than that, I feel relieved. I’m really proud of myself and what I achieved. I’ve competed a lot in the past few months and it has paid off. Before the competition, I focused on my breathing, and that helped me stay calm. I’m really happy!” she enthused.
Palkhivala earned a spot at the Junior World Championships, which will also be held in Montréal in late November. For the gold medallist, the chance to dive at one of the largest international competitions is a major opportunity to showcase her talent.
“It’s going to be so much fun! I don’t want to set any goals for myself right away, because I have a lot of work to do between now and then, but I will definitely arrive ready. Competing in an international event and going up against the world’s best will be totally crazy,” she concluded.
Arnaud Corbeil couldn’t believe his eyes
Several moments after his victory in the Group B platform event, Arnaud Corbeil (CAMO) still couldn’t believe what had just happened. His long hours of training had finally paid off. After displaying tremendous consistency throughout the day, Corbeil earned first place with an impressive 473.25 points.
“I feel great, but it also feels surreal. It’s really satisfying. I still can’t believe it. I worked really hard and my first few dives went well, but I didn’t want to rest on my laurels. I knew I had to keep working hard until the very end,” he explained.
“My coaches and I have made a lot of adjustments lately, especially on the platform, to improve my take-offs. Clearly, that helped me today.”
Corbeil’s CAMO club teammate Samuel Talbot finished second in the event with 422.30 points. Alberta’s Luc Goertzen (Calgary), who won gold in yesterday’s 1m springboard competition, finished third with 408.60.
While Corbeil had trouble believing he had just won the gold medal, he had even more when it came to believing he will be competing at the Junior World Championships. He plans to fully enjoy the experience with his family.
“I’m really excited, even though I still can’t quite believe it. I’m going to give it my all at the World Championships. My parents, my sister and my grandmother will all be there, and I want to have fun and entertain them,” he added.
Noah Bernard (TDA), who won silver in yesterday’s 3m event, earned the top spot on the podium in today’s Group A 1m competition, with a score of 462.20. However, the road to gold was hard-fought. Bernard’s teammate Emmitt Reesor kept the pressure on until the very end, finishing only 0.25 points behind Bernard and earning the silver medal.
In the Group B 3m final, Mathilde Laberge (CAMO) won gold with 430.85 points. It was the second medal of the weekend for Laberge, who finished second in Friday’s platform event.
Four gold medals in high diving
On Saturday evening, three members of the CAMO club performed brilliantly at the High Diving National Championships. Kelly-Ann Tessier, Simone Leathead and Charles-Antoine Labadie each got a taste of gold as they won their respective events.
Carter Baker (White Rock) also won gold in his division. The dives were performed on 12 and 15 metre platforms.
The Junior Diving Trials will wrap up tomorrow at the Claude Robillard Sports Centre with the boys’ 3m finals, the girls’ 1m finals and the boys’ and girls’ platform finals.