Diving Plongeon Canada – On Friday, the Canadians won their fourth medal, this time a silver, at the fourth FINA Diving World Series event of the season, which began today in Kazan, Russia.

The silver matches their finish from last week’s Diving World Series #3, in Montreal, and combines with two bronze medals from the first two elite events back in March, held in Beijing, China, then Fuji, Japan.

“Today we did a pretty good job, we’re really happy about our performance,” said Abel, from Laval, Que., “Obviously there’s always something we can improve but we are really tired, Mélissa and I, and we stuck to what we were supposed to do, the technique, and we were diving as a really good team, we were diving together, and everything was good enough to be second.”

Abel and Citrini-Beaulieu scored 301.11 points, behind China’s Yani Chang and Tingmao Shi who managed 316.20 points for the gold medal. Grace Reid and Katherine Torrance, of Great Britain, placed third with 289.29 points.  

Kazan is the final stop of the Diving World Series, and Canadian divers have been in full competition mode since early March. 

Abel, 26, and Citrini-Beaulieu, 23, have now had two full Diving World Series seasons together.

“Mélissa and I are two great teammates, we talk to each other, we have really good communication, and we really do this together,” said Abel. 

“We win together, we lose together, we find a way to succeed together.”

This season’s four medals is an improvement on 2017 when the pair had two Diving World Series podiums. 

“I think the way we get better, and the consistency that we had this year, we keep doing the job every competition, that’s pretty positive,” said Citrini-Beaulieu, from St. Constant, Que.

“I’m pretty comfortable with our team, we have good chemistry, and it just works and I’m really comfortable being beside her when I dive and she gives me confidence so I think we’re in a good position to achieve things.”

There were two other Canadian synchro teams in action on Friday.

In the men’s 3m synchro springboard, Philippe Gagné, of Montreal, and François Imbeau-Dulac, of Saint-Lazare, Que., finished fourth.

Montreal’s Meaghan Benfeito and Calgary’s Caeli McKay were sixth-place in the women’s 10m synchro platform. 

Day 2 in Kazan will feature Benfeito, and 17 year-old Olivia Chamandy in the women’s 10m platform, plus Gagné and Imbeau-Dulac in the men’s 3m springboard.

Benfeito will then team up with Vincent Riendeau, of Pointe-Claire, Que., in the mixed 10m synchro platform.

For results: 

http://omegatiming.com/Competition?id=0001120003FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF&sport=AQ&year=2018​

 

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For more information:

Dominique Ladouceur

Consultant, Communications and media relations

Diving Plongeon Canada

C: 514-576-2379 | dominique@diving.ca