Benfeito in sync with new diving partner
Calgary’s McKay has managed to find comfort zone with Olympic medallist
Meaghan Benfeito’s diving career has taken a twist or two in the last few seasons.
Not the kind she’d usually welcome as part of an enhanced performance off the platform or springboard. But more the sort of ones that can wreak havoc with what’s already been a terrific tenure in diving.
“It’s been going really well now,” said Benfeito, who is among the feature divers competing in the FINA Diving Grand Prix Canada Cup this week at Calgary’s Repsol Centre.
“But I’ve had a rough year,” continued the 29-year-old Canadian superstar from Montreal. “Losing (my synchronized partner), Rosie (Filion), to retirement, I lost my comfort zone, so I didn’t really know how to handle it.”
Not much wonder why given the success of the dynamic duo. Filion and Benfeito won bronze medals in the 10-metre synchro platform event in consecutive Summer Olympic Games — in 2012 in London, and in Rio de Janeiro four years later.
In between time, the team earned two world championship titles and a Commonwealth Games gold medal to go along with other deserving accolades in the sport.
So without Filion, Benfeito admits to feeling a little lost until a young diver from Calgary came along.
Caeli McKay, 18, has helped Benfeito re-energize on the synchro scene, enough so that the pair captured silver medals in the 10m event at the Commonwealth Games last month in Gold Coast, Australia.
“Caeli was a huge help,” Benfeito said. “She kept motivating me and wanting me to just focus on what I had to do. So she played a huge part in helping me to get back to myself. It was hard, I’m not going to lie.
“She’s very strong mentally. She’s someone who’s very motivating and helps a lot,” added Benfeito of McKay. “She’s always there to help me when I feel bad, so that’s something that I appreciate. I was injured not long ago, and she was always there to make sure I was all right, if I needed anything or if I needed that one person to talk to, so that’s something that was very nice, and I’m hoping it continues.”
The duo begin their weekend with Saturday ’s 10m synchro event at 11:15 a.m. at Repsol, where all eyes — especially with McKay’s friends and family in attendance — are likely to be on the duo.
“She’s taller than me, so she jumps higher than me,” said Benfeito of McKay. “That’s the first thing different than with me and Rosie, we were the same height, so we didn’t have to really focus on that. Now that Caeli is taller, I have to really try and jump higher. I don’t want her to have to jump lower. I don’t want her to not be able to make her dives.”
McKay was second in her semifinal of the women’s open platform event Friday, scoring 306.15 points to finish behind China’s Yanxin Zhu, with 345.10 points. Australia’s Anna Rose Keating was third (300.95), and Ontario’s Celina Toth was fourth (289.75). The other semi saw China’s Wei Lu top all challengers with 349.75 points and two Great Britain divers, Lois Toulson and Robyn Birch, finish second and third respectively with 337.00 and 282.50 points.
Also Friday, the semifinals of the men’s open 3m saw Ottawa’s Francois Imbeau-Dulac dive to second, with 424.55 points, behind only Japan’s Ken Terauchi, who put up 449.40 points, and third went to Australia’s James Connor (399.60). In the other semi, Montreal’s Philippe Gagne finished third, with 401.95 points, behind winner Jack Haslam of Great Britain and runner-up Jianfeng Peng of China, with 422.95 and 413.15 points respectively.
The international meet continues with finals Saturday (11:20 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (11:30 a.m. to 5:05 p.m.) at Repsol.
Live broadcasting of the Canada Cup continues through Sunday on cbc.ca.
The Grand Prix competition features 111 divers from 19 countries competing in women’s and men’s 3m springboard, 10m platform, 3m springboard synchro, 10m platform synchro and mixed synchro events.
Benfeito has dived in Calgary before at national championships in both 2004 and 2009, but this week’s event is a new adventure at Repsol because of her newish partnership with McKay, the hometown girl.
“We’ve been doing absolutely amazing,” Benfeito said. “Obviously, it was a little hard on her last year, but we’re off to a great start this year. We’re starting to communicate well, and that’s really the key to success. And I think with the recent Commonwealth Games and coming in second there, it’s just a motivation to do well the next 21/2 years (in the lead-up to the Olympic Games).”