Montréal, July 16, 2022 – In the first few days of the Junior National Festival, which is being held at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montréal, Claude-Olivier Lisé-Coderre (Camo) won two gold medals in as many competitions. On Saturday afternoon, he added a third to his collection.
“In my wildest dreams, I saw myself winning three gold medals, but I knew it would be difficult to actually pull off. In the end, though, my experience paid off and I finished the weekend with three gold medals!” he exclaimed.
Lisé-Coderre, who trains with the Camo Club, displayed consistency over the course of his seven jumps in the Group C 7.5m platform final to reach the top of the podium once again, with 308.15 points.
“I’m really proud of all my dives. I knew it was going to be very hot out and that the sun would be a factor in the final, so I made sure to conserve as much energy as I could, so that I would be in the best condition possible when it really counted.”
Although the Québécois is proud of his new medals, he is even prouder of the approach he adopted for each of his performances in the competition.
“Medals are bonus items that prove I was up to the task. I’m really proud of my approach because I stayed focused on my dives and my goals. I’m pretty proud of myself,” he added.
First title for Windsor
The Windsor Diving Club was founded only six years ago, yet it can already boast of having a national champion among its membership. Maisy Woloszyn dominated the Group B 3-metre springboard final from start to finish, claiming the Ontario club’s first-ever gold medal at the national level.
“I’m so proud to have won this medal. I’m happy to be able to serve as a role model for the younger members of my club, who might be hoping follow in my footsteps in the near future. Our club may be small, but now we know we can win,” said Woloszyn proudly.
Woloszyn quickly set a winning pace in the competition, scoring 54.00 and 58.80 on her first two dives. She ended the day with a total of 401.85 points.
“For me, it’s always important to start off strong in a competition. It’s an incredible feeling to stand at the top of the podium and become best in the country in my age group,” she concluded.
Bayol and Chambers share podium top spot
Amelie Bayol (Camo) won her second gold medal of the Junior National Festival when she clinched the Group C platform event today. However, because she is from the United States, she cannot bump a Canadian athlete from the top of the podium, which is why she shared the gold medal with Daria Chambers (Forest City).
The two competitors’ race to first place was tight until their very last dives. Bayol (279.80) ultimately edged out Chambers (279.25) with a score of 50.40 on her final jump.
“I’m really happy, but things don’t always work out this way for me. So I’m really going to savour these two victories. I felt confident and I went in with a positive attitude. I think that’s what helped me win today,” stated Bayol.
“Things went really well for me today, and I worked really hard for this gold medal. I always try to focus on the things I can control. I was consistent and I’m proud of what I accomplished,” added Chambers.
Livia McKibbin (Aro, 273.55) and Laurence Labadie (Camo, 245.45) rounded out the podium. Earlier this week, McKibbin won gold in the 1m springboard event, just ahead of Chambers.
“I wanted nothing less than gold” – Blessing Roche
Last but not least, Blessing Roche (PCDC) won gold in the Group B 1m springboard event. After earning an impressive 59.80 points on his first dive, he cruised straight to the top of the podium, not looking back once.
“I’m really happy. Consistency was the key to my success today. I wanted nothing less than gold!” he declared.
Roche, who trains with the Pointe-Claire Diving Club, had an opportunity to practice on the Parc Jean-Drapeau diving facilities before the Junior National Festival. According to him, that opportunity paid off.
“I don’t often dive outdoors, but our training session at Parc Jean-Drapeau definitely gave me a bit of an edge today. I had an idea of what it would feel like. I performed my dives as usual, and everything went well,” he concluded.
The Junior National Festival will continue on Sunday at Parc Jean-Drapeau. Four finals will be held.
For the complete schedule or to view the competition, click here.
The 2022 Junior National Diving Festival is presented by Speedo and would not be possible without the generous financial support of our public partners the City of Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada.
Plus d’informations :
Maelle Dancause
Gestionnaire, communications
Plongeon Canada
C: 514-475-4540
maelle@diving.ca