FUKUOKA, Japan - 春色直播 diver Pamela Ware came close to securing Canada's first medal at the FINA World Aquatics Championships, but ended up settling for fourth in the one-metre springboard event on Saturday.
Ware, of Longueuil, Que., finished the final with a total score of 284.40 points, just 0.65 points behind bronze medallist Aranza Vazquez Montano of Mexico.
Vazquez Montano saved her best dive for last and bumped Ware off the podium with a total score of 285.05.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 exactly sure where I stood in the rankings and when I saw that, I started doing mathematical calculations with Maha Eissa, a competitor from Egypt,鈥 Ware said. 鈥淚n the end, Aranza beat me by less than one point, but I was still happy, because she鈥檚 one of my best friends. I鈥檓 very proud of myself and very proud of her, especially since it鈥檚 her first international medal."
Chinese diver Lin Shan won the gold medal with a final score of 318.60 points, well ahead of her compatriot Li Yajie (306.35).
Ware, 30, had not competed in the one-metre event since 2014.
"It鈥檚 been a long time since I competed in this category internationally, and frankly, my expectations were pretty low. I just wanted to enjoy myself and dive as well as I could, and that鈥檚 what I did," she said.
Mia Vall茅e of Beaconsfield, Que., who won bronze at the 2022 world championships, failed to qualify for the final.
Ware and Vall茅e will team up in the three-metre synchronized competition, which is scheduled for Monday.
Also on Saturday, Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Kate Miller placed fifth in the mixed 10-metre platform event.
The diving competition continues Sunday with the women鈥檚 10-metre synchronized event, featuring Canada's Caeli McKay and Kate Miller.
In artistic swimming, Montreal's Audrey Lamothe finished sixth in the solo technical final. Yukiko Inui of Japan won gold, Vasiliki Alexandri of Austria claimed silver and Iris Tio Casas of Spain took bronze.
This report by 春色直播was first published July 15, 2023.
