MONTREAL – Pamela Weir was determined not to let one mistake define her.
After falling off his feet in the pool while diving at last month's World Championships in Doha, Weir jumped back to compete in the Aquatics Diving World Cup this weekend.
Although she did not win a medal, the 31-year-old from Montreal had a strong fifth-place finish in the women's three-meter narrow jump on Saturday at the Olympic Pool to overcome her self-doubt.
“The good diving here proves to myself that it was just bad competition,” Weir said. “I can pick myself back up and keep moving forward.”
Three-time world champion Chen Yiwen of China cruised to the gold medal (395.60). American Sarah Bacon won silver (356.40) and Chinese Zhang Yani won bronze (344.40). Amy Wilson of Calgary finished 12th.
Weir, who won silver in the same event last May in Montreal, finished 25th at the world championships.
The missed diving event the day before placed 15th alongside partner Mia Vale of Kirkland, Que., in the three-meter synchro. As a result, the pair failed to secure a place at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
It was a moment Weir, who stepped away from the sport for a full season after witnessing a similar scene at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, had witnessed before.
This time, she was eager to get back on track.
“I worked hard not to fall into the hole I fell into after Tokyo. I didn't have one year to prepare, I had two weeks. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders today,” Weir said.
Weir says the biggest hurdle came in the preliminary round, where she finished sixth after battling some serious nerves from standing on the gridiron.
She said: “I felt my heart beating, I was shaking and felt like vomiting. I was very nervous.”
Weir had a strong 2023 season that included five World Cup medals, a World Championship bronze, and three medals (two gold, one silver) at the Pan American Games.
On Saturday, she missed the podium by just 4.85 points after scoring 339.75, and achieved her best result of the weekend on the same dive she missed in Doha – a two-and-a-half forward somersault and one throw.
She said the specific dive wasn't the problem, it was the take-off – known as the “hurdle” in diving.
“On my hurdles, the slower I go the better, but sometimes I go too fast and then I completely lose my balance,” Weir said. “It's really just a matter of timing for me, which takes time and a lot of training and practice.” “
For that reason, the Canadian Diving Team veteran will take the remainder of the World Cup season to prepare for the Olympic Trials May 17-19 in Windsor, Ontario.
Canada has one pre-qualifying spot for the women's three-meter individual event in Paris.
Close calls to canada
Elsewhere in the pool, Canada came close to the podium but was unable to secure a medal.
Nathan Zsombor-Murray of Pointe-Claire, Que., placed fourth in the men's 10-meter platform to end the day after earning a place in the top three during the first four rounds of the five-legged competition.
The 20-year-old took bronze in the same event in Montreal last year and finished with a score of 496.10 on Saturday.
“I'm generally very happy with my performance,” Zsombor-Murray said. “I need some minor adjustments on some dives, but I'm on the right track.”
China's Yang Hao won the gold medal (533.00), Mexico's Randall Ylarz Valdez won silver (530.90), and China's Lian Junjie won bronze (514.65). Rylan Wiens of Pike Lake, Sask., was sixth (479.35).
Zsombor-Murray and Wiens qualified for Paris in the 10m synchronized event. Wiens also earned a singles spot, and Canada could pre-qualify for another Zsombor-Murray match at the Olympic Trials.
Earlier, Canadians Kayleigh MacKay and Kate Miller finished fourth in the women's 10-meter synchronized event.
MacKay, of Calgary, and Miller, of Ottawa, were in second place after the third round of the five-round competition before losing speed on their fourth dive. They finished just under 10 points off the podium with 287.91 points.
The Chinese Quan Hongzhan and Chen Yuxi won the gold medal (368.82), the British Andrea Spendolini Sirix and Louis Tolson won the silver (301.14), and the Mexicans Gabriela Agudez Garcia and Alejandra Orozco Loza won the bronze (297.84).
McKay and Miller have already booked their places for Paris in this major.
The competition will conclude on Sunday with the finals of the women's 3-meter synchronization race, the men's 10-meter synchronization finals, the men's individual 3-meter finals, and the women's 10-meter individual finals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2024.
