Montréal, December 15, 2023 – Carson Paul’s expectations were not particularly high as he prepared for the 3m event on Friday at the Senior National Diving Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba. However, the British Columbian, who normally excels in the 10m platform event, put in an outstanding performance, earning his first-ever Canadian championship title with a final score of 440.70 points.
“This is so exciting! Coming here, I didn’t have any particular expectations. I knew I could pull off a few good dives on the 3m, but I didn’t expect to be able to do so many, nor to win the event. I think I surprised a few people, including myself,” said the newly crowned national champion.
“I always enjoy diving on the springboards. I’m really glad to have done it in competition and to have ended the day with the gold medal. It’s incredible.”
Competition was fierce right to the bitter end. Going into his ultimate dive, Paul was only one point behind his closest competitor, Bryden Hattie, also of British Columbia.
Hattie was the first to dive. He set the bar high, scoring 78.20 points on his final plunge. Paul, who was next on the roster, reciprocated in fine style, scoring 88.40 points to pull ahead of Hattie (429.20 points) in the final rankings.
With his final dive, Cédric Fofana of Montréal slipped between the two British Columbians, earning 89.70 points to bring his total to 434.80, good for the silver medal.
“Going into the final round, I knew Bryden and I were very close in terms of scores. Not only that, but our final dives had exactly the same degree of difficulty. I wanted to finish strong, and it paid off for me,” said Paul.
Thanks to their results today, Paul and Fofana have both secured tickets to the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, in early February. It’s a dream that will now become a reality for Paul.
“I still don’t believe it. I didn’t really think it was possible. I’m looking so forward to it. It will be the experience of a lifetime. In the next few weeks, I’ll be going back to Louisiana to keep training, and I’ll try to put together a great lineup of dives for the World Championships,” he concluded.
Golden prep for Mia Vallée
Over the past year, Mia Vallée has focused her energies primarily on the 3m springboard, in order to optimize her preparation for the Paris Olympic Games. The Québécoise nevertheless took part in the 1m event on Friday at the Senior National Diving Championships, managing to climb to the top of the podium with 279.75 points.
“It went well, although I’m not totally satisfied with my scores. But since the beginning of the year, I’ve been practising my 1m dives a lot less, so I’m happy to have been consistent and fairly sharp under the circumstances,” explained Vallée.
“My first three dives were good, but there was room for improvement, and I was able to do better on my last two. It’s not always easy to stay focused when the beginning of the competition doesn’t go the way you would have liked, but I ended up being handling the situation well,” she added.
Lila Stewart of Saskatchewan (256.20 points) and Aimee Wilson of Alberta (252.25 points) completed the podium. At only 15 years of age, Stewart was competing at her first Senior National Championships.
“I’m really happy for Lila. She dove so well today (Friday). She was right in front me in the lineup, so I was able to watch her in the final, and her entries were incredible. It’s impressive that she won a medal at her very first National Championships. She’ll be one to watch in the future,” noted Vallée.
For Vallée of Beaconsfield, Quebec, the 1m event was also a great opportunity for her to prepare for Sunday’s 3m event. The stakes will be high, as the top two divers will automatically qualify for the World Championships in Doha.
“At the National Championships, the 1m event is always held before the 3m event, which gives me a good chance to get into the competition mindset. It also takes a load off my shoulders before the 3m. Tomorrow (Saturday), I’m going to rest, and then we’ll see what happens on Sunday!”
The Senior National Diving Championships will continue until Sunday in Winnipeg. On Saturday, the women’s 10m and men’s 1m events will take place.
More information :
Alexandra Piché
Manager, Communications
Diving Canada
C: 514 625-5513
alexandra@diving.ca