Leap to glory: Carlson, Macaulay capture Canada's 1st-ever high diving world medals
Canadians claim silver, bronze in Japan
Canada won its first-ever high diving medal at the aquatics world championships on Wednesday in Fukuoka, Japan.
It also won its second.
Molly Carlson earned silver while Jessica Macaulay scored bronze in the event in which competitors leap off a 20-metre board and perform twists and tricks in the air before entering the water feet first.
Australia's Rhiannon Iffland grabbed gold for her third straight world championship victory.
The Canadians climbed the podium with four steady dives through two days of competition, culminated in difficult final dives which they each executed well.
Macaulay's last attempt scored 102 points — the best dive until Iffland beat it with the final leap of the competition.
WATCH | Carlson wins high diving silver:
Iffland finished with 357.40 points, ahead of Carlson at 322.80 and Macaulay at 320.95.
Carlson, the 24-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont., led the World Cup high diving rankings and sat second on the Red Bull tour ahead of her world championship debut. She has over 3.5 million followers on TikTok, where she documents her high-diving career.
Carlson said she could have done better on her fourth and final dive, which earned her a score of 92.40 points, but thinks the medal bodes well for her future.
"Having a dive with a higher degree of difficulty really helped," she said. "I think that in the future, everyone will take it up a notch.
Macaulay, 30, won bronze in the event at 2022 worlds while competing for Great Britain before switching allegiance to Canada for what she has said is her final world championship.
"I had no expectations coming here, and I don't like to put pressure on myself to obtain a particular ranking," said Macaulay, who earned a bronze in the event in 2019 while representing Britain.
"I just wanted to dive well. So to have done well and finished on the podium in my final year is an incredible way to retire."
WATCH | Macaulay claims bronze in Fukuoka:
Simone Leathead, the youngest athlete on Canada's diving team at 20, narrowly missed the podium in fourth with 312.40 points.
High diving has been contested at worlds since 2013, but is not yet part of the Olympic program.
Swimming prelims
Meanwhile, Canada's Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm didn't like being fourth and fifth.
They finished in those spots in the 100-metre backstroke final, then were placed in those numbered lanes during their 50 backstroke heat on Wednesday in Fukuoka, Japan.
So they did something about it.
Masse and Wilm finished first and second in their heat, respectively, to cruise into the semifinals.
Masse, the reigning 50 backstroke world champion from La Salle, Ont., stopped the clock about a half-second off world-record pace at 27.48 seconds. That was good enough for the second-fastest time across all heats, with the 27-year-old only trailing American Regan Smith (27.31), who took silver in the 100.
Wilm's time of 27.75 seconds was sixth-fastest overall.
WATCH | Masse reacts to fourth-place finish:
Also, Toronto's Summer McIntosh took care of business in the 200 butterfly, winning her heat at two minutes 7.91 seconds to advance to Wednesday's semifinals.
The 16-year-old is the reigning world champion in the discipline.
"I'm happy," the 16-year-old Toronto athlete said. "The semifinals are probably the most stressful part of any swimmer's meet because 50 per cent of people don't make it back.
"You always have to stay on your toes to make sure that you're pushing just enough but not overdoing it so you're not too tired for the final."
WATCH | McIntosh wins 200 freestyle semi:
Fellow Canadian Josh Liendo, 20, also impressed in heats, leading his 100 freestyle race through 75 metres before slowing and eventually placing second.
The Toronto native's time of 48.03 seconds was seventh-fastest overall.
Canada also qualified for the semifinals in the mixed 4x100 medley relay.
In the semifinals, the 18-year-old lowered his Canadian record to 1:54.28.
With files from The Canadian Press
