Three Top-5 rankings for divers in Montréal
Montréal, March 2, 2024 – Canadian divers made a suitably wonderful splash Saturday, the penultimate day of the Montréal Diving World Cup. Nathan Zsombor-Murray, the duo of Caeli McKay and Kate Miller, as well as Pamela Ware, all earned Top-5 rankings.
In the Men’s 10m event, Zsombor-Murray held on to the ‘virtual podium’ with the first four of six total dives from the tower. Although his second-to-last dive likely ended up costing him a medal, the Olympian was nonetheless sanguine about his day overall.
“I’m very happy with my performance, and it’s similar to last year’s (in Montréal). It went well, even if my fifth dive wasn’t as strong (as the others). I’m still making progress and I hope next time it’ll be better.”
Zsombor-Murray started his fifth dive well, but just before entering the water after opening up, it was clear that the dive had needed some fine-tuning for it to be optimal.
“It’s still a better performance than in Doha (at the World Championships in February). I know I can do better on certain dives. […] I wasn’t expecting a gold medal, but I was expecting a performance close to 500 points,” he concluded. Zsombor-Murray did collect 496.10 points in the event, which was eventually won by China’s Yang Hao (533.00).
Also a finalist in the same event, Saskatchewan’s Rylan Wiens(479.35) ended his day in sixth place.
Stayed tuned, as these two Canadians (Zsombor-Murray and Wiens) will team up in the 10m Synchro on Sunday.
Another fourth place
Earlier in the day, Caeli McKay and Kate Miller also finished fourth, but in the Women’s 10m Synchro, with a total of 287.91 points.
The Canadians got off to a slightly slower start to the competition today, but were able to recover in the second and third rounds, where they were provisionally ranked second. It was their fourth dive – with the highest degree of difficulty of the competition – that had a negative impact on their score. Yet they fought back on their fifth and final dive to earn their best score of the competition (74.88), and as a result, moved up one place in the overall standings.
“We have mixed feelings. We did four good dives,” commented Caeli McKay. “But that’s diving – it doesn’t always go perfectly. There are things I’m proud of in my (less successful) dive, but I lacked verticality when I entered the water, and that’s frustrating. I’m learning from it and honestly we’ve improved compared to last year.”
Miller remained supportive of her teammate in post-competition interviews: “Our fourth dive wasn’t our best, but I know what Caeli is capable of and I trust her. And, we’re going to show everyone what we can do at the next competition. […] We’ll be a united force as a team, even if things don’t go our way. We have to keep moving forward and focus on what we need to do.”
The gold medal went to China’s Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan (368.82).
Both McKay and Miller will take part in the final 10m Individual event of the World Cup.
Pamela Ware bounces back!
Pamela Ware’s fifth-place finish in the Women’s 3m final enabled her to put last month’s disappointment at the World Aquatics Championships yet another step behind her, and was beaming in a post-competition interview Saturday. The Team Canada Canadian veteran had earned herself 339.75 points in the event that was won by China’s Chen Yiwen (395.60). Calgary’s Aimee Wilson (248.85) ended up in 12th place.
“I’m super, super happy. I had a tough time in Doha, and worked hard not to fall back into the hole I was in after (the Tokyo Olympics),” admitted Ware. “There’s a big weight off my shoulders today, finally. […] My goal was to have fun, and I think it paid off.”
The Quebecer noted the importance of just going for it on her first call-up jump in the final; once she had done so, her stress evaporated and made way for the pure pleasure of diving.
Ware will be skipping the World Cups in Berlin (Germany) and Xi’an (China), in order to focus her energy and time on training for the Olympic trials.
“I’m preparing for my third Olympic Games. I don’t necessarily need to compete, and I certainly have enough experience. (What I need) is to get back into training and to perfect my dives in training, so I can be at my best during the Olympic Trials.”
More diving action awaits, as the Montréal World Cup concludes on Sunday. Note that Cédric Fofonawill be a finalist in the Men’s 3m competition, and Margo Erlam and Aimee Wilson will take part in the Women’s 3m Synchro event.
ABOUT THE EVENT
From February 29 to March 3, the world’s best athletes are in action at Montreal’s Olympic Park Sports Centre for the first leg of the World Cup aquatic diving circuit. Over 120 divers, more than 20 countries, 9 exciting finals. With the Paris Olympics just a few months away, divers will want to stand out and show that they’re in top form.
The 2024 Diving World Cup comprises three stages. After Montreal, the second stage will take place in Berlin, Germany, from March 21 to 24, and the super finale will be held in China from April 19 to 21.
The Montreal Diving World Cup would not have been possible without the help of our partners: Tourism Montreal, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, the Ville de Montréal and Speedo.
