April 25, 2024 – Lila Gokiert took gold in her first individual event of the week at the International Youth Diving Meet  in Dresden, Germany, on Wednesday. She took the top step in the 1m group B event. 

Mathilde Laberge (CAMO) took silver on the platform in group A. 

Calgary’s Lila Gokiert battled to the very end of this very close battle for the gold medal. She finally edged out Ukraine’s Kseniia Bochek by 0.75 points to take her place on the top step of the podium with an excellent score of 325.50. 

“When I compete, I don’t look at my placement after each dive, but I look at my individual score to see where I stand in relation to my personal best. I knew I was doing well. After my last dive, when I saw that I was first, I was really happy!” she commented.

“I ran to my coach. The whole team here was screaming so loud. It was magical,” she added. 

She was rather surprised by the result. “My warm-up didn’t go as well as I would have liked, so I wasn’t expecting that. I think it helped to stay calm and do the best I could. I’m really glad I performed the way I did.”

Also in action, Ella Lindsay finished just off the podium with a score of 294.85, less than a point behind the bronze medal won by Germany’s Zoé Schneider (295.75). 

In the Group A platform, Mathilde Laberge finished the day with a score of 347.45, good for the silver medal. Local representative Hannah Newbrook triumphed with 362.05 points. Australian Hannah Smith (346.50) finished 3rd. 

“I’m really satisfied. I didn’t have any expectations when I came here. I was just happy to qualify to be here and wanted to do my best. There was a moment during the competition when it was more difficult, but I didn’t give up. I’m proud of myself,” commented Mathilde Laberge. 

“To recover when a dive doesn’t go so well, I tell myself that it’s in the past, that there’s nothing more we can do and that we have to look forward. The competition isn’t over until the last dive, so I stay focused,” she explained. 

In the men’s 3 m group A, Emmitt Reesor (TDA) achieved the best Canadian result of the day. With a score of 509.65, he placed 5th. His compatriot Arnaud Corbeil (CAMO) finished in 11th place with 482.70 points. 

A first team experience for several Canadian divers

The International Youth Diving Meet began on Wednesday with the team and men’s synchronized platform events. For many of our Canadian representatives, this was their very first experience of synchro competition. 

Ernest Braitenbach, Arnaud Corbeil, Lila Gokiert and Mathilde Laberge took 4th place in the team event with a total of 300.70, just 2 points behind Italy (302.10). Australia dominated the competition with a score of 325.00, with Great Britain (317.80) finishing 2nd. 

“It was really fun. For me, it was my first experience in synchro, so it took some adjusting. It was a great experience to try it out. It was a great way to start the competition,” commented Lila Gokiert. 

On the men’s platform, Claude-Olivier Lisé-Coderre and Kash Tarasoff also took 4th place with a total of 253.92 points. This was also their first experience together. 

“I’m still proud of our performance. It was my first experience of 10-meter synchro. We had to work on a few things before the competition because our timing wasn’t really the same. I think we could have done better dives, but in terms of timing and technique we did well, especially as we were up against divers who were much older than us. Our level of difficulty was also lower. I’m taking something positive from it,” said Lisé-Coderre. 

The competition continues until Sunday. A team will also be in action in Indiana, USA, to take part in an event sanctioned by World Aquatics. 

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. DPC shares a national commitment to advance the art and sport of diving and to position Canada as the number one diving nation of the world. For information, visit www.diving.ca.

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Information:

Alexandra Piché
Communications Manager
(514) 625-5513
alexandra@diving.ca