Montréal, May 26, 2024 – On Sunday, Canada’s young divers wrapped up the Junior America’s Cup in fine style in Mission Viejo, adding nine medals, including four gold, to their tally.
The Canadian team did particularly well in the girls’ Group B 1m and boys’ Group C 3m events, dominating the standings.
Lila Gokiert (339.55), Daniela Duvreska (331.20), and Ella Lindsay (318.20) swept the 1m springboard event, taking the one-two-three spots. “Compared to the preliminaries, the finals went really well for me. I did well at the end of the competition, and I’m proud to have been able to bounce back and finish strong,” said Gokiert, following the event.
Because a maximum of two athletes from the same country can be on the podium together, only Gokiert and Duvreska received medals. Deanna Drake of Australia (316.80) was awarded the bronze.
Two additional medals were claimed for Canada in the boys’ 3m event, thanks to the performances of Chase Shaw, the overall winner with a total of 358.25 points, and Gabin Emptoz Lacote, who finished second with 329.50 points.
“It’s great when you see new people competing, and when they dive off the springboard and do well, you know what to expect, and you know what you have to do to win. It was a great competition! Mission Viejo is beautiful, and I really enjoyed the experience,” said Shaw, at the end of the day.
“I enjoyed competing against Chase, but I also like it when there are more competitors. You feel a stronger need to push yourself and to improve. It’s a nice place, and I always enjoy diving in outdoor pools!” said Emptoz Lacote, following his third competition of the week.
Today’s other gold medallists were Claude-Olivier Lisé-Coderre and Nigel Chambers. The former won the Group B 3m contest, where his total score of 468.80 points allowed him to edge out his compatriot Kash Tarasoff (461.35) and Great Britain’s Robbie Wood (437.65).
“I’m really happy with how I did in the finals,” said Lisé-Coderre. “The preliminaries were a bit difficult for me, but I bounced back to finish in first place. It was a great experience, and I had a great time!”
Meanwhile, Chambers dominated the Group A platform final, finishing with 480.55 points and the gold medal. His teammate Samuel Talbot (456.95) secured the bronze medal, while Kyle Ly of the USA (467.25 points) won silver. In the same event, Mattias Frohloff (442.65) finished fifth.
In the girls’ Group C 1m contest, Sara-Jade Tessier (282.15) and Lauren Vickaryous (254.95) finished second and fourth, respectively. Hannah McLaughlin of the USA dominated the event, with a final score of 294.65 points.
“I’m really happy to have won three medals in three competitions, even though I think I could have done better. There was a lot of wind, and it was really hot, so that affected my dives, but still, I’m happy with my week,” concluded Tessier.
More information:
Alexandra Piché
Manager, Communications
Diving Canada
C: 514 625-5513
alexandra@diving.ca