Caeli McKay won bronze in the women’s 10m platform event at the FINA Diving World Cup in Tokyo on Wednesday. Malaysia’s Pandelela Pamg took gold while Matsuri Arai of Japan finished second. 

On the men’s side, Thomas Ciprick earned a berth in the 3m springboard semifinals.

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.

McKay (Calgary, AB) scored 343.85 and was first following the semifinals. She finished the final round with a cumulative score of 338.55 to secure a spot on the podium. 

“I’m really happy with where I ended up. I struggled in every single branch of this event with my front and I’m not super happy with that,” McKay said. “I’m really happy with how I was able to come back and do another four pretty good dives. I was also happy with my reverse three-and-a-half, it’s one of the first times I’m doing it internationally and I’m becoming a lot more consistent and a lot more comfortable with it. I’m really happy overall with my consistency and my ability to push through.” 

The World Cup was also an opportunity for the 21-year-old to familiarize herself with the Tatsumi Aquatics Centre which will play host to the Olympics this summer. 

“I know that I can adjust to the pool pretty well and pretty quickly,” she said. “I was a little bit worried about adjusting to the pool, especially since we haven’t done it in a long time. I know that I enjoy the environment, I enjoy the pool and that I can work in the environment. I know it is going to be different at the Olympics, but overall, I’m really comfortable here.” 

Ciprick (Baie D’Urfé, QC) finished 17th in the men’s 3m springboard event with a combined score of 391.90 to earn a spot in the semifinals on Thursday. 

“Thomas was really great. There were a lot of changes in the lead-up to the event, but he kept his composure,” said Mitch Geller, Diving Plongeon Canada’s Chief Technical Officer. “He really raised a lot of eyebrows around the deck by showing how powerful he is and how consistent he can be in this high-pressure environment.” 

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