From his first qualifying dive, Caeli McKay (PCDC) wowed the gallery at the Canadian Championships in Toronto, Ontario.
McKay continued her momentum throughout the day on Saturday where she became Canadian champion in the 10m platform.
“I’m very happy overall. I was consistent and got very good grades. I almost achieved a personal best in the final. I made a small mistake on a jump, but I can’t complain, I’m really happy,” commented McKay moments after his victory.
It is thanks to his total of 374.50 points that McKay was able to climb on the top step of the podium. She earned scores of 80.00 and 84.80 on her third and fifth dives, the two highest scores of the day.
With this victory, McKay took one step closer to the World Championships which will be held July 14-22 in Fukuoka, Japan.
I am very excited for the World Championships, I still have to work on a few small aspects of my diving, but it certainly gives me confidence. With the Olympics also fast approaching, I feel the level of nervousness rising, but I want to go one competition at a time and everything will be fine.
Caeli McKay
British Columbian Celina Toth (Boardworks) and Ontario’s Elaena Dick (SDC) completed the podium with their respective scores of 302.95 and 299.80.
Hattie and Povzner still on top
As was the case the day before in the 3m springboard, Bryden Hattie (Boardworks) and Victor Povzner (Optimal) shared the top step of the podium on Saturday in the 1m final.
Although he finished first in the final standings with a total of 412.65 points, Povzner did not claim the title of national champion since he does not represent the country on the international stage. The honor then went to Bryden Hattie (408.45 points).
Despite a tough qualifying early in the day, Hattie was able to bounce back in the final to claim her second Canadian Championship title in as many days.
“I don’t know what was going on this morning (Saturday), but it seemed difficult for everyone. I think we were all still exhausted from yesterday. Fortunately, in the final, the level returned to normal,” commented Hattie.
“I’m very happy with my weekend, I was consistent and I managed to be 100% focused on my dives. It’s very good for my confidence,” he added.
For his part, Victor Povzner also said he was extremely satisfied with his performance in the final, he who notably obtained a score of 77.55 on his second dive, the highest mark of this final.
“In the preliminaries, I want to play it safe and I only hope to qualify for the final. Then I know that anything is possible. I had fun and I felt pleasure, it was transposed into my results. I love the one meter springboard, it’s always been my favorite,” said Povzner.
Bjorn Markentin (SCDC) finished on the second step of the podium with a total score of 379.30, while the bronze medal went to Thomas Ciprik (PCDC) with 371.15 points.
The Canadian Championships wrap up Sunday in Toronto with the finals in the women’s 3m and the men’s 10m.