Nikos Tzanatakis Tops Podium for Second Consecutive Day
Montréal, July 15, 2023 – The level of competition was high at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saturday, the penultimate day of the Junior National Diving Festival in Montréal. And of the athletes taking part, British Columbia’s Nikos Tzanatakis (Boardworks) stood out once again, capturing the gold medal in the boys’ Group C 1-metre springboard event with 311.20 points. For Tzanatakis, who won the platform event on Friday, it was his second appearance at the top of the podium in two days straight.
“I was a bit more consistent than the silver medallist, but he did really well, especially considering that it’s his first time at the Nationals and it’s my third. I had the advantage of being more experienced,” said the 13-year-old former gymnast, who has been diving since the age of seven.
Tzanatakis defeated Alberta’s Kingsley Tetzlaff (Calgary, 290.00) and Quebec’s Mathis Legault (Envol, 281.70) in today’s event. Tomorrow, he will continue his quest for medals in the 3-metre final.
In the boys’ Group D platform competition, the top step of the podium was shared by guest athlete Juan Diego Palma of Newfoundland (Edge, 209.55) and Ély Charbonneau-Alain of Quebec (CAMO, 202.65).
Palma was pleased to see all his hard work of the past year pay off and happy to win a medal on the site of the 2005 World Championships for the very first time.
“At this competition last year, I came in last. This year, I finished first! I’m proud of myself, and I think I’ll be back next year,” he said.
The other gold medallist, Ély Charbonneau-Alain, also made his first appearance on the Nationals podium today.
“I knew I had a better chance of winning this event than the 3-metre or the 1-metre. I’ve won gold medals in the past, but never at a competition this big,” said Charbonneau-Alain, who dives with the CAMO Club and trained very hard for this competition—his biggest so far.
Ukrainian guest athlete Oleksandr Sakun (ESPDC, 191.60), who won gold in the 1-metre springboard event on Friday, placed second behind Charbonneau-Alain, along with Mano Charron of Quebec (Agami, 182.80). Manolo Paquin (CAMO, 176.85), also of Quebec, won bronze.
In the girls’ Group C 3-metre springboard event, Saskatchewan’s Lauren Vickaryous (Regina, 315.95) took top honours, edging out Alberta’s Daniela Durevska (Calgary, 308.70) and British Columbia’s Alexandra Wood (IDive, 297.15).
“I knew that if I dove my best, I had a good chance of winning. I broke my personal record, but there are still a few things I’d like to improve on. It feels good to have been able to go all the way and beat my score,” said Vickaryous, who will have the chance to earn a second medal in Sunday’s platform final.
Ontario’s Charlee Ramirez (Windsor, 228.60) also won a gold medal on Saturday in the Group D platform final. Quebec’s Sara-Jade Tessier (Envol, 214.40) won silver, while guest athlete Yolanda Yiyao Xie (IDive, 196.90) and Blair Yan (White Rock, 192.60), both of British Columbia, shared bronze.
“I dove consistently, and I hoped to win a medal. These are my first Canadian championships, and I’m happy to have finished first,” said 10-year-old Ramirez.
The Junior National Festival will conclude on Sunday with the preliminaries and finals of the girls’ Group C platform, the boys’ Group C and D 3-metre springboard and the girls’ Group D 1-metre springboard.