Jump into the daily life of Team Canada divers in training
For Training Tuesdays, we’re curating some of the most interesting and creative training moments from athletes. Check out the others here.
Over the past year, Team Canada divers have continued to document their training process in what has been a year filled with challenges and obstacles.
Discover their secrets to staying on top of both their mental health and physical shape.
1. Jennifer Abel
Jennifer Abel knows that training out of the water is just as important as in the water, as seen below with her gymnastic moves. The Quebec diver has already participated in three Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal at London 2012. She is also the most decorated Canadian in history at the FINA World Championships with ten medals won so far in her career.
When training, Abel showcases that mobility and flexibility are key elements that should not be overlooked, especially at the end of a workout:
2. Celina Toth
The first lockdown of the pandemic last spring, created a training obstacle for many athletes. Celina Toth found a quick solution and moved her focus outdoors. She combined her training with inspirational quotes to always stay on course when the unexpected happened. Toth is a four-time Canadian champion in the 10m and has collected three medals at the FISU World University Games in recent years.
3. Caeli McKay
Couples training? That’s not a problem for Caeli McKay who replaced a barbell for none other than the Quebec diver – and her boyfriend – Vincent Riendeau. McKay, who trains in Montreal, won two medals at Lima 2019, including one in mixed synchro with Riendeau.
Who has abdominal pain just watching this video? It is clear that McKay does not neglect training out of the water:
3. Meaghan Benfeito
When diving in sync, every little detail counts, as Meaghan Benfeito and her synchro partner Caeli McKay demonstrate. Like Abel, Benfeito is training for her fourth Olympic Games and already has three Olympic medals to her credit: one at London 2012 and two at Rio 2016.
4. Vincent Riendeau
Don’t worry, this is not the finished product! But it gives us a good idea of how Vincent Riendeau and Nathan Zsombor-Murray have to deconstruct every step of their dive to achieve perfect execution and timing:
5. Philippe Gagné
After recovering from a mononucleosis and COVID-19, Philippe Gagné has shown that he did not lose any of his technical skills when he returned to training. Gagné won bronze at the Youth Olympic Games in 2014 and made his Olympic debut at Rio 2016, where he finished 11th in the men’s 3m.
7. Pamela Ware
Changing your morning routine has the power to change the rest of our day, Pamela Ware proves it to us here. Ware’s new routine helped her train better and even heal her injuries. Ware, who came close to the podium in the 3m synchro in her first Olympic appearance at Rio 2016, has been on the podium three times at the FINA World Championships.
8. Nathan Zsombor-Murray
Nathan Zsombor-Murray takes advantage of his training to add new maneuvers to his repertoire in a video that is almost frightening to watch! Only 14 years old at his first FINA World Championships, he finished fifth in mixed synchro with Meaghan Benfeito. At Lima 2019, he won the silver with his teammate Vincent Riendeau in the 10m synchro.
9. Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu
Like her teammates, Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu was very happy to be returning to the pool to train after the four month long break. And you can tell she hadn’t forgotten a move! The Quebecer already has two World Championships podiums to her credit, including a bronze medal in the 3m synchro in 2017.
