Fourth place in the 10m synchro | Caeli McKay and Kate Miller, between sadness and pride

(Paris) Still dressed in their red swimsuits, towels around their waists, Caeli McKay and Kate Miller struggled to contain their tears as they appeared before the written press.

The Canadian duo had just finished their 10m synchro event just off the podium, in fourth place, some 5 points behind the bronze medal won by the British divers.

“Fourth is the hardest place to be in the Olympics,” McKay said, his eyes watering, as Miller stared into space beside him.

She knows something about it, since it is exactly the same result that she obtained in Tokyo, in 2021. With her former partner, Quebecer Meaghan Benfeito, she had finished a slim 0.5 points from third place.

“Nothing compares to being fourth twice at the Olympic Games, but I think they are two very different situations,” said the adopted Montrealer.

In Tokyo, she was “barely able to dive” because of ankle pain. This time, she was in top form. “I was able to fully experience it, to enjoy it. I was able to enjoy being with Kate and experiencing her first Games with her. I was able to enjoy what I was doing.”

And then, “this time it was at least 5 points,” she added.

“Proud in spite of everything”

The representatives of the maple leaf had started their first Olympic event of the week well; after the first dive, they were second behind the Chinese, who ultimately won the event hands down.

Without making any major mistakes, McKay and Miller had some awkward dives in their next few dives. On their second pass on the platform, Miller went a little over the vertical. On their third dive, a 3 ½ front pike somersault, they earned 69.30 points, good for second place.

The last two jumps were well executed, but the divers made some mistakes in timing and entry into the water. On the last jump, a 2 ½ back flip with a twist and a half, they absolutely had to get more than 73 points to take third place. Result: 68.16 points.

Close to us in the stands, the families of the two divers were horrified.

“I think all our jumps were pretty good,” McKay said. “There weren’t any big mistakes or anything. It’s just the way things went.” […] Obviously we could have been more precise on each of our jumps, but I’m happy with what we did.”

The two teammates showed up at the Olympic Aquatics Center in Paris without thinking of anyone but themselves.

For Miller, it was a first Olympic experience. Emotional, the 19-year-old Ontarian struggled to control her emotions.

“I’m obviously upset with the result of the competition. I know we can do a lot better,” she said. “We dove really well. I didn’t mind being a lot younger, I wanted to get up there and win a medal. Unfortunately, we didn’t win.”

“I am still super happy with our duo and everything we have done together in just two years. […] And it’s cool to be an Olympian now. But I wish it was more.”

Together

Both divers now have to recover from their emotions, as they will compete in the 10m individual competition on August 5. Unlike the synchro event, which only consists of a final, they will have to go through the preliminaries to qualify for the semi-final and then the final.

“For the prelims, I think it’ll be good to get a feel for how the competition is, the adrenaline, how the crowd, the judges behave,” McKay said. “We’ll regroup, refocus and do what we can on the day.”

The beauty of Wednesday’s synchronized event is that it’s a two-person event. In victory and in defeat.

“It’s always nice to have support. She’s one of my best friends, so it’s nice to be able to be here together, have a shoulder to cry on together,” McKay concluded, his throat tight.