Pamela Ware Untouchable on 3m Springboard
Santiago, October 24, 2023 – Greenfield Park’s Pamela Ware dominated the 3m springboard final from start to finish on Tuesday, clinching her second gold medal of the Pan-American Games in Santiago with a final score of 342.75 points. However, she faced some stiff competition from Mexico’s Arantxa Sanchez, who finished with 336.85.
Fellow Canadian finalist Mia Vallée finished sixth with 292.85 points, while Krysta Palmer of the USA collected the bronze medal.
On Sunday, Ware won gold in the 1m springboard event in the Chilean capital, accompanied on the podium by Vallée, who secured silver.
Nine months from the Paris Olympic Games, the gold medallist, who is having an exceptional season so far, is definitely on the right track.
“I saw the scores before the final dives, and I knew [Sanchez] was only three points behind me. When I entered the water on my last dive, I thought I had gone past vertical, but when I came out of the water, everyone was cheering loudly. I heard the scores being announced, and I was really happy,” said the 30-year-old athlete, whose final dive was the best of the competition, earning her 72.00 points.
Vallée had trouble finding the words to describe her own performance.
“It’s been a long week, so I think it will take some time for me to figure out what happened in this competition. I think I was lacking confidence.”
Ware was determined to prove she’s still one of the best. She succeeded in doing so, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing for her on Tuesday. Her fifth-place finish in the preliminary rounds left her feeling shaken.
“I was pretty unhappy about it, and I wasn’t feeling that great, but I managed to calm myself down, go back to square one, and regain my confidence for the final.”
Ware pointed out that her teammate Caeli McKay was the one to put the smile back on her face after the preliminaries. And on Wednesday, the Québécoise plans to do the same for Vallée, who will compete with her in the 3m synchronized event.
“Mia never gives up, and she’s constantly trying to improve. […] She’s pretty much the only [finalist] who hasn’t been to the Olympics, and she competes with us. I’m really proud of her, and I’m feeling confident about the two of us for tomorrow.”
As for Vallée, she insists that she’ll be in good spirits for her final competition of the Games.
“Our synchronized 3m dives are a bit less stressful for me, so I think they’ll go well. Pamela is good at getting me out of my head, so that will help a lot. She’s always very supportive of me, whether we’re diving together or individually.”
Meanwhile, Ware admits that the possibility of returning home from Santiago with three gold medals is growing ever more realistic.
“I know it’s possible. We just have to be confident. It’s very, very possible!” she concluded.