Montréal, April 6, 2025 – After placing fourth in Friday’s qualifiers, Mia Vallée already appeared satisfied with her first competition of the 2025 season. On Sunday, however, the Quebecoise wrapped up the weekend on another high note, finishing eighth in the individual 3m finals at the World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico.
It was her best individual World Cup result and her highest international standing in an individual 3m springboard event since the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.
After three dives in the finals, Vallée was in the running for a spot in the top five, but her more difficult fourth attempt cost her valuable points. She slipped to eighth place, which she managed to hold onto through her final dives, and she finished with a total of 295.95 points.
China’s Jia Chen captured the gold medal with a score of 380.55, edging out her compatriot Yiwen Chen by 7.65 points. Maddison Keeney of Australia (352.00) completed the podium.
Benjamin Tessier was the only other Canadian competing in an individual event on Sunday in Guadalajara. The Québécois finished tenth on the 10m platform, with 392.35 points.
In typical Tessier fashion, he got off to a strong start, posting the third-best dive of the second round with 77.70 points, which put him in provisional ninth place.
He then managed to maintain his position within the top 10, securing his spot in the top ten in his first international individual final as a senior.
“I’m not very satisfied with my result. I have a lot of things to work on, and I hope I get back on track quickly. But I gave my all. Now I’m exhausted, so I’m going to get some rest before my next competition, which is only a few days from now. I have to trust myself. It’s super important, and I think I’ll get there,” said a visibly unsettled Tessier a few moments after the conclusion of the finals.
Mexico’s Randal Willars Valdes was unstoppable in the finals, claiming the top spot on the podium with a score of 547.70. China’s Zifeng Zhu (468.65) and Zilong Cheng (463.80) took silver and bronze, respectively.
Kate Miller and Katelyn Fung joined forces for the first time in a senior-level international event, competing in the synchronized 10m finals. The Canadian duo fared very well, finishing sixth with 272.13 points.
Things got off to a good start for Miller and Fung, who claimed provisional third place after their first run, for which they earned 48.60 points. They then fluctuated between fifth and eighth place, before finishing sixth.
Minjie Zhang and Wei Lu of China (347.58) clinched the gold medal, ahead of Alejandra Estudillo Torres and Gabriela Agundez Garcia of Mexico (316.62) and Neutral Athletes Aleksandra Kedrina and Anna Konanykhina (302.10).
“It was a great experience for the athletes, and I think they learned a lot from it. For several of them, this week was their first time in the big leagues. The good news is that even though they didn’t necessarily dive as well as they have been in training, they still managed to advance to the finals. That bodes well for the future,” said Andrée Pouliot-Deschamps, senior director – elite performance at Diving Canada.
The next diving World Cup will take place on the Canadians’ home turf, in Windsor, Ontario, from April 10-13.
“We don’t have much time before Windsor, so we’ll make some minor adjustments, particularly with respect to managing their nerves, so that they’re able to replicate the high-quality dives we’ve seen during training. It’s only natural that competing at a big event like this for the first time makes it harder to manage their stress. That’s something we’ll work on,” concluded Pouliot-Deschamps, adding that she was delighted by the team’s positive dynamic all week.
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More information :
Alexandra Piché
Manager, Communications
Diving Canada
C: 514 625-5513
alexandra@diving.ca