MONTREAL – Paris Olympics-bound Canadians Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens placed fifth in the men’s 10-metre synchronized competition Sunday at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup.
Zsombor-Murray, from Pointe-Claire, Que., and Wiens, from Pike Lake, Sask., held on to second place through four rounds of the six-leg event before losing pace on their fifth dive, finishing with 409.95 points.
Yang Hao and Junjie Lian of China captured gold (457.23), Randal Willars Valdez and Kevin Berlin Reyes of Mexico won silver (428.97) and Thomas Daley and Noah Williams of Great Britain took bronze (417.93).
Zsombor-Murray and Wiens have pre-qualified for this summer’s Games in the discipline.
Earlier, Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani of China topped the podium (329.40) in the women’s three-metre synchro. Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook of the U.S. earned silver (312.60) while Madison Keeney and Anabelle Smith of Australia took bronze (297.60).
Canadians Aimee Wilson and Margo Elam of Calgary placed fourth (285.90).
Later Sunday, Montreal’s Cedric Fofana competes in the men’s three-metre springboard, followed by Calgary’s Caeli McKay and Ottawa’s Kate Miller in the women’s 10-metre platform to wrap up the weekend.
The event has featured over 120 divers — including 12 Canadians — from more than 20 countries.
Montreal is the first World Cup event of the season, followed by another stop from March 21-24 in Berlin and the World Cup Super Final from April 19-21 in Xi’an, China.
The Canadian Olympic trials are set for May 17-19 in Windsor, Ont. The Olympics begin on July 26.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2024.
