Three Quebec Divers Capture National Titles in Montréal
Junior Elite National Championships
Montréal, July 4, 2026 – On Saturday, three divers from Quebec stood atop the podium at the Junior Elite National Championships, being held at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex in Montréal. Mackenzie Van Houtte-Cachero, Sara-Jade Tessier, and Samuel Talbot were all crowned Canadian champions in their respective events.
In the women’s Group A 3m springboard contest, Van Houtte-Cachero offered her opponents little chance of winning. And to boot, her final score of 480.10 allowed her to narrowly (by 0.1 points) meet the qualifying criteria for the Junior World Championships—a first step toward a potential selection for the team.
“I’m still in shock, but my coach and I have worked really hard to get here, so I’m just so happy,” said the diver, who trains with the Pointe-Claire Diving Club, just moments after her victory.
In the finals, the 17-year-old athlete pulled ahead in the standings on her second dive, then held on to her lead until the very end.
“Going into the finals, I was really focused. I knew I had done the work, and that now all I could do was have fun and execute my dives to the best of my ability,” explained the Québécoise.
Her second and third dives, which garnered her highest scores (63.00), were especially strong.
However, she struggled a little more with her fourth. “I had a tough position at the end of the board, and I ended up going a bit too far over.” She redeemed herself in the next round, though, solidifying her lead.
The podium was completed by Ella Lindsay (Nepean, 459.20) and Daniela Duvreska(Calgary, 449.95), who won the women’s Group A 1m event on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in the Group B 1m springboard competition, Sara-Jade Tessier (CAMO, 372.55) and Lauren Vickaryous (Regina, 369.10) engaged in a fierce battle for first place.
After three dives, Vickaryous held the lead in the overall standings. However, her closest rival Tessier had not yet had her last word: Tessier’s final plunge (51.60) allowed her to overtake her countrymate.
For the 14-year-old, it was her first national championships in Group B. She had begun the event with an attempt that fell short of her expectations, but then followed up with three well-executed dives.
The Québécoise was haunted by Thursday’s platform competition, where an early error had cost her the Canadian championship and she had finished with silver. On Friday, she wanted to go all the way. “I wanted to prove to everyone that I was capable of winning,” she explained.
Élodie Couture, who also trains at the CAMO Club, came in third with 356.90 points.
On the men’s side, Samuel Talbot (CAMO) completely dominated the platform event in Group A. On his third dive, he earned the exceptional score of 96.00.
The Montrealer led the competition from start to finish and amassed a total of 606.20 points, finishing more than 80 points ahead of his closest competitor, Kash Tarasoff(Saskatoon, 518.45).
Both divers’ scores qualified them for the Junior World Championships.
Arnaud Corbeil (CAMO), who won a gold medal yesterday, secured third place with 510.35 points.
The Junior Elite National Championships will draw to a close on Sunday at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex. The women’s Group B 3m, men’s Group A 1m, men’s Group B platform, and mixed team events are all on the schedule.
