Junior Trials: Top Score at Right Time for Chris Booler
Quebec’s Chris Booler (PCDC) obtained the best score of his career on Friday at the Junior Diving Trials, which are being held at the Claude Robillard Sports Centre in Montréal.
In the Group A 3m springboard event, Booler collected 536.35 points to claim the top spot on the podium. He edged out Noah Bernard (516.10 points) and Emmitt Reesor (500.65), both of Toronto, to clinch the gold medal.
“I’m so happy. I’ve worked really hard over the past few months and I’m glad it finally paid off. I managed to stay calm before each of my dives and focus on my upcoming dive,” said Booler.
“I think it was one of my best competitions ever. It’s a personal best for me, and I don’t think it could have come at a better time!”
Thanks to his win today, Booler will be back in Montréal in late November for the Junior World Championships. The athlete from Pointe-Claire is looking forward to impressing his family and friends when they see him in action in the international competition.
“I’m really excited to be able to participate in such a major competition close to home. My parents and friends will be able to come cheer me on. The competition will be fierce, but I think that if I can make it to the finals, I could end up with a top five finish,” he concluded.
Training paid off for Luisa Fragoeiro-Arco
In the Group B platform event, Luisa Fragoeiro-Arco (SFEC, 308.15 points) also captured the gold medal with a margin of almost 20 points over her closest competitor. The Albertan explained that her training was the key to today’s victory.
“I’m so proud of this win. With my coach, I’ve been working on approaching competitions with a positive attitude, and I think that made a difference today,” she explained.
“Or maybe it’s because I had a really healthy breakfast this morning,” she chuckled.
Sharing the podium with Fragoeiro-Arco were Mathilde Laberge of the CAMO Club and Presley Deck of the Saskatoon Diving Club, with 288.70 and 282.55 points, respectively.
As was the case for Booler, Fragoeiro-Arco also earned a ticket to the Junior World Championships thanks to today’s gold medal. The Edmontonian is looking forward to testing her mettle against the world’s top divers.
“I’m so excited to represent Canada in an international competition. It will be such an amazing experience to share the stage with the best divers in the world. I plan to enjoy it as much as possible and give it my all,” she added.
In addition to Booler and Fragoeiro-Arco, Luc Goertzen (1m, B) of Calgary and Sonya Palkhivala (1m, A) of Pointe-Claire also won gold medals in their respective categories and will compete at the Junior World Championships.
Team Canada’s complete lineup will be announced in the coming days.
The Junior Diving Trials and Junior High Diving National Championships will continue on Saturday with the girls’ 3m springboard, the boys’ 1m springboard and the boys’ platform events, as well as the high diving.
