Canadian divers just OK with bronze
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY — Canada’s Jennifer Abel and François Imbeau-Dulac won a bronze medal in the mixed synchro three-metre event on Saturday, the final day of pool diving at the FINA world championships.
The pair medalled in every event they entered this season, including three silvers and a bronze from the elite Diving World Series, yet even after earning her third medal of FINA Worlds, Abel wanted more.
“We are really happy to be on the podium,” said the 25-year-old Abel. “But we also are not quite pleased with the colour of the medal.”
The two Canadians combined for a score of 297.72 points, below their season-best (at a Diving World Series) of 326.16 points from Guangzhou, China in March.
China’s Han Wang and Zheng Li won the event with 323.70 points. Britain’s Grace Reid and Tom Daley took the silver medal with 308.04 points.
It’s been a long competition for the divers, spanning nine days. Saturday’s event was one more chance for Abel and Imbeau-Dulac to dig deep and perform,
Abel, a native of the Montreal suburb of Laval, captured a bronze medal in her individual springboard event on Friday night. Earlier in the competition she won a silver medal with Melissa CitriniBeaulieu in the women’s synchro three-metre event.
Abel now has eight world championship medals, the most for a Canadian woman in the sport of diving. It also matches retired Olympian, Alexandre Despatie, who also has eight medals, on the men’s side.
“She must be very proud,” said Imbeau-Dulac, who is from St. Lazare, Que. “I am so, so proud of her, and how the competition went for us.”
Also Saturday, Daley captured his first individual medal at the world championships since 2009 with a thrilling victory over reigning Olympic champion Chen Aisen.
Chen, diving just ahead of Daley, put the pressure on in the final round with a brilliant reverse 2½ somersaults with 2½ twists, barely making a ripple as he sliced through the water to receive four perfect 10s from the judges and nothing lower than a 9.5.
But Daley, facing away from the pool, launched himself off the tower for an equally dazzling back 3½ somersault pike. He released his legs, spotted the water and manoeuvred his body into a perpendicular position for scores that matched Chen, including four 10s.
“Seeing Chen do his dive — I saw him in the water and thought, ‘Oh yeah, so that’s how you want to play. I’m here to play too,’” Daley said.
The winner led after all six rounds and finished with 590.95 points. Chen was next at 585.25, while his teammate Yang Jian settled for the bronze at 565.15.