(Montreal) Pamela Ware and Caeli McKay share very few similarities, other than being divers on the Canadian team. One is at the twilight of his career, while the other is still in its infancy. This does not prevent them from sharing a common goal: to heal their wounds in time to participate in the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024.
Ware, who is 30 years old, must overcome mental injuries, while McKay, who has just blown out his 23 candles, must deal with physical injuries.
Ware is working to heal the deep trauma she experienced at the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021. The images have gone around the world: then in the semi-finals, the Quebecer rushes into her take-off jump , before suddenly freezing and simply dropping, feet first, into the pool. Result: a score of 0, and the 18th place in the group.
An incident which, she believed, was trivial and which would be quickly forgotten. But that was not the case. Far from there.
The Greenfield Park diver returned to this difficult day on Wednesday during training open to the media at the Olympic Park sports center pool, as part of the Montreal Diving World Cup.
“My last competition at this level was at the Olympics, and we all know what happened there. Last year (2022) was really tough mentally and physically. I was no longer myself, ”the Quebecer first admitted.
“I thought I was going to move on quickly, but now I realize it’s been really, really difficult. Even today, when I fall in the water after a dive, I sometimes have flashbacks of what happened and I have to take time to collect myself. It’s really difficult, but I’m getting there slowly. »
The main interested party, however, ensures that she never thought of retirement, even in her darkest moments in 2022.
“I’ll be honest, I honestly thought Tokyo would be my last Olympics,” she said. But as soon as I hit the water (after my failed dive), I was like, ‘No, it’s not over. It can’t end like this.” »
To overcome her demons, Ware therefore consulted therapists, mental trainers, and even resolved at one point to fight fire with fire: she again tried to perform her famous dive displaying a 3.5 difficulty coefficient — highest among ladies. But now, she had to face the facts.
“I realized I had to change my technique. I am now more stable in my jump call, Ware mentioned. I tried that dive again, but mentally it’s just too much for me, so I decided not to do it anymore. Now I’m doing one of my old dives that I did with Jennifer (Abel). And now it’s going really well. »
In fact, according to Canadian diving coach Mary Caroll, the trigger that allowed Ware to find her way back to life happened during a minor competition in Bolzano, Italy, last summer. Ware then won bronze in the individual 3m springboard.
” She is back ! She found it difficult after the Tokyo Olympics, but she knows she has the potential to be on the podium in major events. She trains very hard, and she will fight against the Chinese. I always expect great things from her because she is an excellent diver,” Caroll summed up.
It is in this context that the Canadian team chose to pair her with Mia Vallée in the 3m synchro this weekend. Ware, Vallée and Alberta’s Margo Erlam – the latter two finished fifth in the 3m synchro at the World Championships in Budapest last summer – are therefore involved in a three-way fight for the Paris Olympics in 2024, with Quebecer Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu, currently injured.
Ware will also compete in the individual event, as will Erlam and Vallée.
Like Ware, McKay made headlines across the country during the Tokyo Olympics.
Who doesn’t remember the famous candid photo of Quebecer Meaghan Benfeito — her partner at the time in the 10m synchro — who was carrying her on her back, just minutes after their improbable fourth place?
The Calgary native dived at the Tokyo Olympics despite having — what was believed at the time — damaged ligaments in her left ankle. After months of dithering, McKay finally had surgery in October 2022, after doctors determined the damage was far more serious than originally anticipated.
“They totally rebuilt my ankle, which is practically new. I still feel pain sporadically, but it was the best decision I could have made to pursue my career. I’m just starting to train hard again, but it’s coming and I’m optimistic,” McKay said.
The Albertan nevertheless admitted that in order to avoid aggravating her injury, she had to modify her list of dives for the weekend. Which means she should be aiming for a top-5 in the 10m individual at best.
“But I should be pretty much back at the World Championships (in Fukuoka, Japan, which will be July 14-22, 2023),” she added in the same breath.
McKay will also dive 10m synchro with Kate Miller, a junior diver who will celebrate her 18th birthday on May 27.
The Montreal Diving World Cup will take place from Friday to Sunday, at the Olympic Park sports center pool.
