(July 3rd 2022) – Mia Vallée and Margo Erlam capped off their first FINA World Diving Championships with a 5^th place finish in the 3m synchro Sunday in Budapest, Hungary.

The Canadian pair’s five dive performance was awarded 282.90 points from the judges. China’s Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani claimed gold with 343.14 points, followed by silver medalists Sayaka Mikami and Rin Kaneto of Japan with 303,00 points, and bronze medalists Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith of Australia with 294.12 points.   

“I think Margo and I are happy with what we’ve accomplished. We dove well. Sure, there are a few little adjustments to make but it’s a strong indicator for the future. We only trained together once in Budapest. We were only missing a little bit of practice as a team. Adding the stress of competing and our lack of synchro experience, we weren’t able to reach the podium. And it’s alright”, shared twenty-one-year-old Vallée.   

Vallée, hailing from Kirkland, Quebec, was very happy to finish off the week with her springboard partner. 

“It was really great to finish Worlds together, as a team. We’re already looking forward to preparing for the Commonwealth Games which are just around the corner, in three weeks.”

The week was incredibly high in emotions for the two athletes, participating in the most prestigious event of their young careers.  Defying all expectations, Vallée leaves Hungary with two medals: silver in the women’s 3m springboard and bronze in the 1m springboard.  

“My goal coming here was to make the finals and I felt that was a pretty lofty goal to begin with. To finish second in the world in the 3m, that’s really something. I impressed even myself and I’ve gained a ton of confidence”, shared Vallée. 

A top-10 finish for both Zsombor-Murray and Wiens in the 10m platform 

In the men’s individual 10m platform, Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens both successfully finished among the top 10 in the world. Pointe-Claire, Quebec’s Zsombor-Murray finished 7th with a score of 446,55 points. 

“I did well on five of my six dives. I was solid on my entries. Generally, I’m happy with my performance. Going forward, the challenge will be to add more difficulty to my dive list to earn a few more points”, stated Zsombor-Murray.  

Saskatchewan’s Rylan Wiens finished 9^th overall with 416.20 points. 

“I’m pretty happy with how it all went today. I am a little disappointed in some of my dives but this gives me some insight on what to work on going forward”, shared Wiens. 

China’s Yang Jian won gold with 515.55-points. His teammate Yan Hao claimed bronze with 485.45 points and Japanese diver Rikuto Tamai inserted himself between the Chinese diving powerhouses to claim silver with 488.00 points.  

Wiens and Zsombor-Murray had won the bronze medal in last Tuesday’s men’s 10m synchro event. 

“Even if I wasn’t necessarily expecting to win a medal at that event, it’s still an amazing accomplishment for Nathan and I. I also wanted to make the final in the individual event. It’s been a positive week overall and I’m really looking forward to what’s next”, declared Wiens.   

The Canadian team will now return home in preparation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, set to begin on July 28^th, in Birmingham, England.  

For complete results: https://www.fina.org/competitions/2902/19th-fina-world-championships-budapest-2022/results?disciplines=DV&event=30b61a30-9e53-44fb-97c3-4de2958e2265 

A detailed schedule of events is also available on the FINA website 

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: 

Maëlle Dancause
Communications Manager
Diving Plongeon Canada
514-475-4540 |  maelle@diving.ca