Four Canadian divers booked places in the finals of their events on Thursday at the Montreal World Cup, marking a strong showing on home soil and securing qualification for the Beijing Super Final in early May.
Benjamin Tessier of Laval, Quebec, and Matt Cullen of Rosemere, Quebec, advanced in the men’s 10-metre tower event. Tessier said the competition marked his return after a lengthy break, admitting he felt rusty at first but quickly regained his rhythm. He added that he now plans to fine-tune his performance ahead of the finals.
In the women’s three-metre springboard, Calgary’s Margo Erlam and Sonya Palkhivala of Pointe-Claire, Quebec, also advanced to the final round, giving Canada four finalists across the two disciplines.
Finals qualification at the Montreal World Cup automatically earns divers a place at the Beijing Super Final, the season’s culminating event.
The World Aquatics Federation confirmed on Thursday that the only other scheduled World Cup event, set for next week in Zapopan, Mexico, was cancelled due to recent violence in the region.
As a result, the Montreal competition will be the sole qualifying event used to determine who advances to the Super Final in China, increasing the significance of the results achieved by Canadian athletes this week.
