Meaghan Benfeito still going strong after diving into new partnership
3-time Olympic medallist competes alongside Caeli McKay after 11 years with Roseline Filion
For divers like Meaghan Benfeito, jumping off a platform 10 metres from the ground and performing a series of flips and twists before plunging into a pool is just second nature.
But when Benfeito learned that she'd be Canada's flag-bearer for the Commonwealth Games in Australia, the thought of leading her teammates into the stadium was frightening.
"It's an honour to walk in with the Canadian flag in front of all the athletes but I'm not going to lie... it's not something that I'm used to," Benfeito says.
For 11 years, the 29-year-old competed alongside Roseline Filion in the women's 10-metre syncro event. Together, the duo captured silver twice at the world championships and won a pair of bronze medals at the Olympics.
With Filion announcing her retirement in January 2017, it was time for Benfeito to move on — but it wasn't so easy. Filion wasn't just her partner, she became one of Benfeito's best friends.
"She was my comfort zone ... not having Rosie around is something that I'm getting used to and I'm trying to figure out how I need to do my own things. It's a relationship that I've built with someone that I don't think I could ever forget," Benfeito says.
Plenty of promise
The Montreal native's first season alongside new teammate Caeli McKay had its growing pains, as do most diving partnerships. They needed to learn more about each other, about what worked and what didn't. At times, McKay felt like she was replacing Filion.
"She knew that it was hard for me to lose Rosie and I didn't really know how to deal with it at first but you learn as you go. When things don't go right, I know exactly how she's feeling now," Benfeito says.
Benfeito sees a lot of promise in the partnership. Both divers share a common desire to be better — it's not enough to be just good. They demand nothing but the best from themselves and are continually pushing each other to ensure that.
Last season, the duo finished second on two occasions and were fourth at the world championships. Benfeito says there were many people who doubted them and she had fed off that and the younger McKay's energy and eagerness to learn.
"She jumps a lot higher than me so that helps me in my individual diving ... the goal was to find someone that could match me but also help me become a better diver and [in turn] I can help Caeli become a better diver," Benfeito says. "She's someone that wants to perform and that was something that I needed."
Putting off retirement
Benfeito's success with McKay has her hopeful of challenging the powerhouse Chinese teams at the next Olympics, in Tokyo in 2020. But the decision to push towards a potential fourth Olympics wasn't so straight forward.
Benfeito acknowledges that an elusive world title and Olympic gold are some of the reasons she put off retirement, but it was her coach, Arturo Miranda, who told Benfeito that he still saw more potential in her.
"I didn't know if I wanted to continue, but I'm happy that I did because I think that I have a lot [left] in me. Age doesn't matter. I'm still able to manage my body and perform at my best. I have a lot of things I can work on that can make me a better diver," Benfeito says.
Closing the gap
Since she began competing with McKay, Benfeito is reaching a higher apex on her dives. McKay is three inches taller than Benfeito, so the older diver needs to jump higher in order to match the amplitude of her new partner. That wasn't really an issue with Filion because they were practically the same height.
Having slightly more air time allows Benfeito and McKay to complete their dives with more room to spare, and those tiny details can help the Canadian pair close the gap on their rivals.
"It allows me to control my dives better and have a lot more time to fix the entry. The cleaner the entries, the higher the scores and the closer we are to the Chinese divers," Benfeito says.
While results are important to Benfeito, equally significant is giving back to younger Canadian divers. She remembers being in their shoes and having the calm veteran Filion to lean on for guidance.
Benfeito knows she won't be diving forever and wants to leave the program in good hands.
"Even though Caeli is my partner, she is the next generation and once I retire she will be the person to beat in Canada," Benfeito says. "It's important for her to learn everything that I can help her with and that's something that Rosie taught me."
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