Montréal, July 26, 2023 – Canada’s female divers turned in a fine performance on Wednesday at the World Aquatics Championships! In the 20-metre event, they captured the silver and bronze medals, as well as claiming the fourth spot in the rankings.
Molly Carlson (322.80) finished second, just ahead of her teammate Jessica Macauley (320.95). Simone Leathead (312.40) was right behind them, in fourth place. Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland earned the title of world champion for the third year in a row, with 357.40 points.
Carlson was still buzzing about the Canadian women’s results on Wednesday.
“What an exciting day for Canada, finishing second, third and fourth at our first World Championships! It’s incredible, and it shows how supportive our federation has been, building platforms and making sure we have a lot of places to train. It was a dream come true to stand on the podium with one of my best friends [Jessica Macauley]!” stated the diver from Thunder Bay, as she stepped down from the podium.
The newly minted silver medallist feels she could have done better on her fourth and final dive, which earned her a score of 92.40 points. Nevertheless, she believes her silver medal bodes well for the future.
“Having a dive with a higher degree of difficulty really helped. I think that in the future, everyone will take it up a notch.”
A well-deserved retirement
The competition in Fukuoka was particularly poignant for Macauley, who will retire from diving at the end of the season. The 30-year-old was determined to keep her emotions in check when she found herself in provisional fourth place going into the final round.
“I had no expectations coming here, and I don’t like to put pressure on myself to obtain a particular ranking. I just wanted to dive well. So to have done well and finished on the podium in my final year is an incredible way to retire!” said Macauley, who plans to celebrate the team’s achievements with a karaoke night.
Coach Stéphane Lapointe had nothing but positive things to say about the women’s competition.
“I’m really happy! Our goal was to make sure the girls were in the running from day one, and they just kept it up. We showed that our country is a strong contender, and that’s really impressive. […] There’s been a lot of development in our program over the past three years, and we’re looking ahead toward the future.”
On Thursday, Michael Foisy will be in action on the 27-metre platform. Following the two first rounds, the Canadian holds provisional 19th place. The finals will take place on the same day.
More information :
Alexandra Piché
Manager, Communications
Diving Canada
C: 514 625-5513
alexandra@diving.ca