Rylan Wiens won bronze and Nathan Zsombor-Murray finished fifth in the men’s 10m platform event on Tuesday at the FINA Diving World Cup in Tokyo. On the women’s side, Jennifer Abel (Laval, QC) finished fifth in the 3m springboard event with a cumulative score of 316.05. 

The FINA Diving World Cup is the final qualification and test event for the Olympic Games. Eight finals are scheduled at the World Cup: 3m and 10m platform individual and synchro for men and women. The Tatsumi Aquatics Centre in Tokyo will host 225 athletes from 46 countries, from May 1-6, 2021.

Wiens (Saskatoon, SK), who was 10th after the semifinals, scored 488.55 in the final to secure a spot on the podium. 

“That was probably the best event of my life,” Wiens said. “I was able to put in six dives and come out with a bronze medal at the World Cup which is pretty amazing. I was super happy with everything I did and hard work paid off.” 

Zsombor-Murray (Pointe-Claire, QC) was third after the semifinals and finished with a cumulative score of 462.10 in the final. 

“I think I also dove pretty good. I dove a little bit better in the semis and I still have a couple of dives I need to polish off a little bit better, but I think with the score that I got, 462, is not a bad score at all internationally,” said Zsombor-Murray.

With both Wiens and Zsombor-Murray qualifying for the 10m final, Canada unlocked a second Olympic spot in the event. 

Thomas Daley of Great Britain won gold while Mexico’s Randal Willars Valdez took silver. 

In the women’s 10 m platform, Caeli McKay (Calgary, AB) scored 287.80 and finished 12th to earn a berth in the semifinals. 

Having already secured an Olympic spot in the women’s 10m platform event, Meaghan Benfeito (Laval, QC) elected to withdraw from Tuesday’s competition.

“Meaghan’s primary focus at this World Cup was to unlock the Olympic spot in women’s 10m synchro. With the amount of effort and time she put into that, Meaghan didn’t feel fully prepared for the individual event. Having already qualified both our spots in the event, rather than risk a potential injury, the decision was made for her to withdraw,” said Mitch Geller, Diving Plongeon Canada’s Chief Technical Officer.

Benfeito and McKay secured their Olympic spot in the women’s 10m synchro event with their gold medal win on Sunday. 

The FINA Diving World Cup is organized under strict sanitary and health conditions and without spectators in the stands. For each individual event, up to 18 places are at stake, while each synchronized competition will select four teams (out of the total eight that will dive at the Games).

About Diving Plongeon Canada

Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) was established in 1967 as a not-for-profit organization to promote the growth and awareness of the sport in this country. As a member of FINA, the world’s governing body of aquatic sports, DPC contributes to the development of globally accepted standards of excellence in diving and supports the rules and regulations of international competition. Representing nine provincial diving associations, 67 local diving clubs and close to 4,000 high-performance athletes, DPC shares a national commitment to advance the art and sport of diving and to position Canada as the number one diving nation in the world. For information, visit www.diving.ca. 

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For more information:

Jeff Feeney

Director, Events and Communications

Diving Plongeon Canada

C: 613-668-9668 | jeff@diving.ca