Montréal, July 17, 2022 – Renee Batalla (Boardworks) wrapped up her preparation for the Commonwealth Games in fine style on Sunday, winning gold in the Group A 10-metre platform event at the Junior National Festival in Montréal.

On her final attempt, the British Columbian landed a near perfect dive, scoring 78.30 and boosting her total for the day to 434.35 points.

“I’m really happy to have ended the day on the top of the podium, but I’m even happier to have landed my final dive, which had a high degree of difficulty and was worth a lot of points. I wanted each of my dives to be as good as possible, and that’s how it turned out,” said Batalla.

For the 15-year-old diver, today’s competition was her last before she heads off to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Great Britain, at the end of July. According to Batalla, everything is in place for her to be successful at her first Commonwealth Games.

“The Junior National Festival was an important part of my preparation for Birmingham. I practiced all the dives I plan to do there, so I’m feeling confident. Once I’m there, I want to have fun and enjoy the experience.”

At Montréal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau today, Batalla was accompanied on the podium by Julianne Boisvert (Envol, 398.15) and Audrey Thordarson-Wehner (EKDC, 366.30).

Family and friends in stands for Sara-Jade Tessier’s win

In the Group D 3-metre springboard event, Sara-Jade Tessier (Envol) drew strength from the supportive crowd to dominate the final with a score of 234.80. Although her brother Benjamin Tessier—who will also participate in the Commonwealth Games in a few weeks—was in the stands, the people she most wanted to impress were her cousins.

“It went really well. I loved this competition. My cousins came to watch, so I wanted to push myself even harder and show them I could win the gold medal. I loved having the support of my family today,” she enthused.

Tessier will be back in action on Monday in the 1m springboard event, where she plans to once again put on a great show.

“I want to execute all my dives well, like I did today. I’d like to finish off the competition on the podium.”

Friday’s gold medallist on the platform, Lauren Vickaryous (Regina, 227.95), finished second today, just behind Tessier. They were accompanied on the podium by Jessica Markusson (Regina, 210.10).

Consistency key for Emmitt Reesor

Toronto’s Emmitt Reesor (TDA) displayed unparallelled consistency on Sunday to win the gold medal in the Group A 1m springboard competition. He set the bar high at the very beginning of the day, scoring 66.30 points on his first jump. He finished the final with a total of 493.35 points.

“I’m really relieved to have won. I was consistent all day, starting with the qualifiers and right through to the final. I was able to stay focused on my dives 

and I didn’t feel stressed,” said the gold medallist.

Reesor was especially happy with his success on Sunday, given that Friday’s performance on the 3m springboard had been somewhat rockier.

“This medal feels special, even though it’s not my first national one. I wanted to get back on track because I didn’t perform at my best on Friday. But I bounced back and I’m proud of myself,” he added.

Chris Booler (PCDC, 454.90) and Jules Rolland (Envol, 446.05) rounded out the podium.

Highly motivated Nicolas Landry wins 3m

After winning the silver medal on Friday on the platform, Nicolas Landry (Revolution) had only one thing on his mind going into the Group D 3m final today: gold. And he accomplished his mission, claiming the top spot on the podium with 197.75 points.

“I feel great, and I’m really proud of myself. Earlier this week, I came in second on the platform, which really motivated me to win gold today. It makes me want to get back onto the podium every time I compete.”

Gabriel Brombach (Revolution, 182.45), the youngest competitor at the 2022 Junior National Festival, earned his second medal of the week on Sunday by securing the second-place spot. The two Manitobans were accompanied on the podium by Chase Shaw (Calgary, 180.75).

The Junior National Festival will come to a close on Monday 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
Manager, Communications
Diving Canada
C: 514-475-4540
maelle@diving.ca