CANADA’S TOP DIVERS WILL COMPETE AGAINST THE WORLD’S BEST IN WUHAN, CHINA FROM JUNE 4-10, 2018
Diving Plongeon Canada – Montreal, May 31, 2018– Canada’s diving elite is set to square off against the best divers in the world next Monday at the FINA Diving World Cup in Wuhan, China, taking place from June 4th to 10th 2018. This is the 21st edition of this event which is held every two years.
Following a stacked spring schedule featuring the FINA Diving World Series held at Montreal’s Olympic Park Sports Centre and the Canada Cup Diving FINA Grand Prix held in Calgary among other events, Canadian divers took advantage of two weeks at home to recharge before flying back to Asia, site of the first two World Series events this season.
Eleven divers will make up the Canadian delegation in China, including triple Olympic medalistMeaghan Benfeito (competing in 10m, 10m synchro) and Olympic medalist Jennifer Abel (competing in 3m, 3m synchro). Abel reached the podium twice at the last FINA Diving World Cup held in 2016, winning bronze in the 3m springboard and silver in the 3m synchro with her former partner Pamela Ware (3m).
Divers Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu (3m synchro, 3m mixed synchro), Celina Toth (10m), Caeli McKay (10m synchro, 10m mixed synchro), François Imbeau-Dulac (3m, 3m synchro, 3m mixed synchro), Philippe Gagné (3m, 3m synchro), Vincent Riendeau (10m, 10m mixed synchro), Rylan Wiens (10m, 10m synchro) and Bryden Hattie (10m synchro) will join Abel, Benfeito and Ware. This World Cup will be the first time the mixed synchro teams of Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu & François Imbeau-Dulac (3m) and Caeli McKay & Vincent Riendeau (10m) join forces to compete. This will also be the first World Cup for teenagers Bryden Hattie and Rylan Wiens.
On the women’s side, Canada will be a serious contender in all events at the Wuhan Sports Center Natatorium. Among the Canadian female divers looking to claim a spot on the podium: Olympic medalist Meaghan, World Cup medalist Pamela Ware and eight-time World Championships medalist Jenn Abel. Both women’s synchro teams (3m and 10m) will be in the hunt for medals as well.
Aiming for a medal on the men’s side: Philippe Gagné, double silver medalist on 3m springboard at the recent Commonwealth Games; his synchro partner François Imbeau-Dulac, who has put up some very strong recent performances in the 3m individual and synchro events; and Vincent Riendeau, bronze medalist on 10m at the Commonwealth Games.
The FINA Diving World Cup is held over six days, with finals occuring each day. The eight Olympic events will be featured, as well as the mixed synchro and team events. The mixed synchro and team event finals (top 12) will serve as a qualifier for the 2019 FINA World Championships. The individual events (top 8), the synchro and mixed synchro events (top 6) will serve as qualifiers for 2019’s FINA/CNSG Diving World Series.
Broadcast: In Canada, select events will be webcast by CBC and Radio-Canada at 10 pm EST from June 4th to 10th 2018 as well as on CBC’s Road to the Olympic Games on Saturday, June 16th, 2018. The events will also be streamed live on FINAtv.
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