Montréal, June 7, 2025 – Canada’s athletes made a big impression on the penultimate day of the Canada Cup diving competition in Gatineau on Saturday, winning five medals, including three gold courtesy of Victor Povzner in the men’s 3m springboard competition, Sonya Palkhivala and Margo Erlam in the women’s synchronized 3m event, and Matt Cullen and Rylan Wiens in the men’s synchronized 10m final.
Povzner’s victory in the 3m final was never in question. The member of the Optimal Diving Club in Markham, who also dominated Thursday’s qualifiers, led today’s competition from start to finish, edging out Collier Dyer of the USA (385.65) and Minhyuk Kang of South Korea (379.40) with his final tally of 416.20 points.
“It’s just pure joy, and I’m having a great time! Being on the springboard and feeling everyone’s eyes on you gives you a major adrenaline rush,” admitted the victor, who competed with a knee injury today. “Knowing that it’s your moment in the spotlight, and pushing yourself as hard as you can without being afraid, is really amazing. It’s a feeling I don’t get to experience anywhere else in my day-to-day life, so I fully enjoy it when I can!”
Quebec’s Cédric Fofana (365.80) finished fourth, followed by his fellow Canadians Carson Paul (sixth place with 347.15 points), Sam McCaffrey (eighth with 331.50 points), and Claude-Olivier Lisé-Coderre (eleventh with 312.95 points).
In the women’s synchronized 3m springboard final, Palkhivala (Canadian Diving Institute – Montréal) and Erlam (Canadian Diving Institute – Saskatoon) teamed up for the first time on the international stage to claim the gold medal thanks to an impressive performance. Their score of 282.24 set them ahead of Bailee Sturgill and Lily Witte of the USA (275.46) and Lucy Dovison and Natalie Phan of Australia (271.50).
The men’s synchronized 10m final saw Cullen (Canadian Diving Institute – Montréal) and Wiens (Canadian Diving Institute – Saskatoon) climb to the top of the podium with 379.71 points, while their young teammates Dean Calfacacos (Canadian Diving Institute – Montréal) and Kash Tarasoff (Canadian Diving Institute – Saskatoon) secured the bronze medal with 349.02 points.
Zafar Marikar and Jonah Mercieca of Australia (355.23) slotted themselves in between the two Canadian duos.
“It’s really great. You can see the next generation coming up, and they kept the pressure on us throughout the competition. It’s awesome to all be on the podium together,” said Wiens, who was back in competition after taking some time off.
It was Wiens’ experience that enabled him to successfully complete his final dive, the most difficult of the entire competition, and the 84.24 points awarded by the judges cemented Wiens’ and Cullen’s lead in the standings.
“I’m not going to lie. That dive did not go very well in practice,” said Wiens. “But I had faith in Matt, and our experience paid off.”
“We tried our hardest to keep up with them, but they had a great finish. It was tough,” added Calfacacos, with a chuckle.
In the women’s 10m event—the last final of the day—Éloïse Bélanger captured the bronze medal with 314.90 points. The gold and silver medals were secured by Australians Maggie Grey (325.20) and Milly Puckeridge (320.80), respectively.
Bélanger, who trains at the Canadian Diving Institute in Montréal, felt a sense of accomplishment after the event.
“I’m really happy with my performance. I remained consistent throughout. I would have liked to perform some of my dives better, but I started and ended the competition well. That was the most important thing for me today, to be consistent.”
Julianne Boisvert (sixth, 290.55), Mathilde Laberge (eighth, 281.90), and Ella Lindsay (tenth, 221.20) also took part in the finals.
The Canada Cup will come to a close on Sunday. The day’s program will feature the women’s individual 3m finals, the men’s synchronized 3m finals, the women’s synchronized 10m finals, and the men’s individual 10m finals.
Click here for all the Canada Cup results.
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More information :
Alexandra Piché
Manager, Communications
Diving Canada
C: 514 625-5513
alexandra@diving.ca