Energized by an 11-hour sleep, Montreal diver Pamela Ware could feel she had something special in store on Friday.
“I woke up this morning and I honestly felt so good,” she told The Canadian Press. “I got to the pool and the first jump I did on the board I was like, ‘yeah, today’s gonna be a good day,’ — and it was.”
Ware produced five straight solid dives en route to winning a bronze medal in the three-metre springboard at the FINA World Aquatics Championships.
The 30-year-old finished with 332.00 points after five dives, a little more than nine points behind silver medallist Chang Yani (341.50) of China.
Chen Yiwen, also from China, won gold with a cumulative score of 359.50 points.
It was Ware’s fourth career podium finish at the FINA world championships and her first since winning silver in the same discipline in 2015.
Pamela Ware returns to the podium at the world aquatics championships
Longueuil Quebec’s Pamela Ware captures bronze in the women’s 3-metre springboard competition in Fukuoka Japan. The veteran scored the medal, a decade after her debut in the sport, where she had also captured bronze.
At this year’s competition, Ware posted a fourth-place finish in the one-metre springboard, missing the podium by less than a point. She also had a fifth-place showing in the three-metre synchronized springboard, missing the top three by 1.77 points with her partner Mia Vallee.
But Ware didn’t come into the competition worried about bringing home medals.
“I didn’t want to put any pressure on myself for this event. I just wanted to come out here, have fun, enjoy myself and dive well, and that’s what I did,” she said. “If I wouldn’t have gotten the medal or I got the medal, I just wanted to be super proud of myself.”
The 2020 Olympian has been on a run of good form in recent months. In May, she won three medals, including a silver in the individual three-metre, at a World Cup event in Montreal.
At the Tokyo Games, she missed a dive in the three-metre event, eventually leading to her taking a step back to re-evaluate the way she went about training.
The Canadian spoke with CBC Sports reporter Devin Heroux after the event and shared what her last two years have been like.
Ware said that after failing a dive at the Tokyo Olympics that resulted in no score and kept her from advancing in this same 3m springboard event, she thought about quitting the sport.
“I was traumatized by it for about a year,” she said. “I wanted to quit but I didn’t want to quit.”
Ware says her renewed enjoyment of diving is the reason for her success this year.
“I’m just enjoying the process again. I’m having fun with everything,” she said. “I’m doing everything that I need to do to achieve my goals and I think that’s just the key is just really enjoying myself again and getting through everything with a smile and having fun.”
Ware gives credit to her new coach Hui Tong for helping her have fun again.
“He’s only been my coach for a year and a half, but we have an excellent relationship,” she said in a press release. “Before I dive in a competition, he smiles at me on the springboard, which gives me a boost.
“Thanks to him, I’ve fallen in love with my sport again, and I’m very, very happy that he’s my coach.”
Ware’s performance in the three-metre springboard ensures Canada will have a representative in the discipline at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
It was Canada’s second medal in Fukuoka. Calgary’s Caeli McKay also won bronze in the 10-metre platform event on Wednesday.
On Saturday, Nathan Zsombor-Murray of Pointe-Claire, Que., competes in the men’s 10-metre platform final after placing ninth in the semifinal on Friday.
Then the Canadian divers will fly to Berlin, Germany, for the World Cup Super Final from Aug. 4-6.
Men’s water polo team falls to France
Also Friday, Canada’s men’s water polo team dropped its final group stage match with a 15-11 loss to France.
Canada placed third in Group B at 1-2 after previously beating China and losing against Italy.
It hung tough against France, never ceding too much ground, but couldn’t quite find that extra goal when it was most needed in the second half.
The Canadians now move on to the Round of 16 for a match against the U.S., which placed second in Group A at 2-1, on Sunday at 1 a.m. ET.
Live coverage of the world aquatics championships continues Friday at 9 p.m. ET with the artistic swimming mixed duet free program on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
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