(Montreal) Canada’s Caeli McKay and Kate Miller finished fifth in the women’s 10-metre synchro on Saturday at the Diving World Cup in Montreal.

China – the reigning Olympic and world champion in this event – literally flew over the competition, with a score of 378.60 points. It was ahead of Great Britain (316.68) and Germany (302.58) in order.

The Maple Leaf representatives completed the top 5 with 286.08 points.

They were in second position after two laps, but Miller missed her vertical when entering the water from the triple and a half inverted somersault. She and McKay found themselves tentatively in the seventh and final rung, but pulled themselves together en route to fifth.

Beyond the results, it is first of all the experience acquired this weekend that could be beneficial to them in the long term.

McKay has started training in synch with Miller, a junior diver who will turn 18 on May 27, at the end of winter only. This event was therefore their first together on the international scene at the senior level — and definitely Miller’s first in a career.

McKay had been without a full-time partner for the 10m synchro since her own mentor, three-time Olympic medalist Meaghan Benfeito, announced her retirement following the Tokyo Olympics.

There was, of course, an experiment with Celina Toth of St. Thomas, Ontario, but that proved fruitless.

McKay also took the opportunity to put his left ankle to the test, which was rebuilt last October following an injury sustained in training shortly before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Moreover, the Albertan has not hidden that she still feels sporadically pain in her ankle.

As a result, the 23-year-old has changed her dive list for the 10m event to allow her ankle to continue healing. In this sense, she had confided earlier this week that a top 5 would be a result beyond her expectations.

McKay will now have to wait 24 hours for her answer, as she will compete in the women’s 10m final on Sunday — one of five to be featured at the closing of the event. Toth will also dive there.

Earlier Saturday, Quebecers Pamela Ware and Mia Vallée qualified for the women’s 3m springboard final. Alberta’s Margo Erlam was ruled out, however.

For his part, Quebecer Nathan Zsombor-Murray obtained his pass for the final in the men’s 10m.

His compatriot Rylan Wiens was not so lucky and withdrew before the start of the preliminary round due to a neck injury. It also annoyed him on Friday, when he and Zsombor-Murray finished seventh in the men’s 10m synchro.

Meanwhile, Canada did not compete in the 3m synchro springboard final on Saturday.

The Montreal Diving World Cup is the first international diving competition to take place in the city since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

This competition is also the only one scheduled on the international calendar before the World Championships are held in Fukuoka, Japan, from July 14 to 22.

The Diving World Cup has three stages, and that of Montreal is the second. Canada did not attend the premiere in Beijing, China, due to budgetary and logistical constraints. The World Cup Super Final will take place in Berlin, Germany from August 4-6.