Matt Cullen finished first and Ethan Pitman took second in the men’s open platform prelims on Friday at the FINA Virtual Diving Grand Prix. On the women’s side, Olivia Chamandy finished fourth and Katelyn Fung was sixth in the open 3m prelims. 

The Canadian edition of the 2021 FINA Diving Grand Prix, also known as the Canada Cup, is being hosted virtually. This is Diving Plongeon Canada’s second virtual competition that allows international athletes to compete against each other in real-time. The event features 34 athletes from 4 nations (GBR, CAN, SVK, USA), competing from 6 different locations.

Cullen (Rosemère, QC) scored 404.15 to secure the top spot slightly edging out Pitman (Montreal, QC) who finished with a combined score of 403.65.

For Cullen, the event is the first Grand Prix of his career. 

“I was nervous because it was my first and I wanted to show others my abilities and let them know who I am,” he said. “I liked my handstand. I don’t always hold them. I managed to hold it which was pretty cool.”

Great Britain’s Robbie Lee had a cumulative score of 371.50 to finish third. 

Laurent Gosselin-Paradis (Montreal, QC) had a combined score of 364.05 which landed him in the fifth spot.

On the women’s side, Chamandy (Montreal, QC) scored 270.35 in the open 3m prelims while Fung (London, ON) finished with a score of 222.90. 

“It was OK for prelims. It was average, I felt fine, a little bit of nerves. I had some nerves, I felt them, my legs were a little bit shaky which is normal,” Chamandy said. “All-in-all, I missed one or two dives, but I’m satisfied.”

Going forward the 20-year-old is hoping to clean up her inward two-and-a-half somersault. 

“My first dive, there was a mistake that shouldn’t have been made,” she said. “I shouldn’t have missed that dive. For me, the first dive, that’s where the stress comes out. The fact that I got that one out of the way made the rest better.”

Americans Margo O’Meara (296.20) and Kristen Hayden (295.75) finished first and second respectively and Great Britain’s Amy Rollinson (272.75) rounded out the Top 3 finishers.

About the 2021 – FINA Virtual Diving Grand Prix – Canada

The FINA Virtual Diving Grand Prix – Canada runs May 27-30. The six competition sites include Saanich Commonwealth Place, Victoria, BC, Shaw Centre, Saskatoon, SK, Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, Toronto, ON, Olympic Park Sports Centre, Montreal, QC, Forest Park Aquatic Center as well as Noblesville, IN (USA) and the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield, ENG (UK). The event includes 18 judges from across Canada, the UK and the USA who submit their scores in real-time through Integrated Sports System’s uJudge platform as the competition takes place.

The Grand Prix is managed through five virtual locations across Canada; Results management (Montreal, QC), webstream production and graphics (Thunder Bay, ON), announcing (Kelowna, BC), judging coordination (Victoria, BC), and competition management (Ottawa, ON).

This event can occur in large part through important hosting grants that Diving Plongeon Canada received from Sport Canada’s International Single Sport Event program and Ontario’s Sport Hosting Program.

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