DOHA, Qatar — Canada picked up two high-diving medals at the world aquatics championships Wednesday as Molly Carlson earned silver and Jessica Macaulay earned bronze in the women's 20-metre event.
Carlson totalled 320.70 points, while Macaulay had 320.35. Both divers are from Montreal.
Australia's Rhiannan Iffland claimed gold with a combined score of 342.00.
All three medallists replicated their placing at the 2023 championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Simone Leathead of Montreal finished seventh.
Carlson led Iffland by 4.3 points before her fourth and final dive, for which she earned a score of 77.00 points.
Although it wasn’t enough for gold, it was enough to edge out her teammate Macaulay by 0.35 points.
“Second place at the world championships … I’m ecstatic, especially since it’s only my fourth year in high diving and these are only my second world championships," said Carlson. “And it felt even more special because I really put my heart into it today."
"Knowing I was competing for the title of world champion made me nervous, but I’ll work on that for next time," she added. "And it was amazing to share the podium with my teammate, who is about to retire."
The event capped a successful diving season for Carlson, who finished second overall behind Iffland in the Red Bull Cliff Diving series.
Macaulay, in her final competitive season, was sixth in the cliff diving series and earned a bronze in her final event in Auckland, New Zealand.
"I’m very happy with my performance," Macaulay, 31, said. "My final dive was incredible, and it was very emotional. I tried to stay focused on the present and to enjoy myself.
"Sharing the podium with Molly was very special because we’ve been training together for the past two or three years. I’ve watched her grow, and I’m happy to see how she’s progressing."
In swimming competition Wednesday, Calgary's Ingrid Wilm and Finlay Knox of Okotoka, Alta., advanced to finals with strong semifinal swims.
Wilm, who won a bronze medal in the women's 100-metre backstroke on Tuesday, advanced to the 50-metre backstroke final with the fourth-fastest semifinal time of 27.68 seconds.
Knox followed up with a time of one minute 58.5 seconds in the men’s 200-metre individual medley, good for sixth seed heading into the 23-year-old's first long-course world championship final.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2024.
The Canadian Press
