Regina diver Reuben Ross makes first international final at Canada Cup Grand Prix

April 30th, 2009

Reuben Ross

MONTREAL - Reuben Ross of Regina launched his international season in grand style Thursday earning a berth in the men’s three-metre final at the 13-country Canada Cup diving competition which is also the fourth stop on the FINA Grand Prix circuit.

It is the first time in his career that Ross has reached the final at a senior international event. Last year, he made giant strides on the international scene and capped the season by qualifying for the Olympic team.

Ross posted the best semifinal score of the day with 441.75 points. He averaged 7.0’s and 8.0’s from the judges on five of his six dives. His best score was on his twisting dive in the third round.

``I felt really good about my performance in the semis,’’ said Ross, fourth after the morning preliminaries. ‘’For me it is all about going out there and not making any mistakes. I really wanted to make the final and I think I showed today I can also contend for a medal.’’

Cesar Castro of Brazil followed Ross in the first semi at 420.60 and Ken Nee Yeo of Malaysia was third at 398.45 to also advance to the final.

Evgeny Kuznetsov of Russia won the second semi while François Imbeau-Dulac of St-Lazare, Que., was sixth and did not advance. Imbeau-Dulac posted a personal best 396.40 for fifth in the preliminaries.

Canadians dominate women’s tower

On women’s 10-metre tower, Meaghan Benfeito of Montreal and Roseline Filion of Laval, Que., didn’t appear worn out after competing this spring at all four FINA World Series meets, as they each won their respective semifinals to advance to the final.

‘’I figured my performance would drop a bit here after all the travelling this year but I guess I’m so happy to be home it reflected in my diving today,’’ said Filion. ‘’Just being back with my team gave me energy and I’m also comfortable at this venue. My diving today was much better than in the World Series.’’

Benfeito posted the top semi score winning her heat with 356.25 points. Filion won the opening semi with 345.80 points.

‘’I haven’t dove this well in quite some time,’’ said Benfeito who bettered her personal best score for an international competition in the preliminaries with 360.35 points. ‘’I’m very pleased. But there are still a couple of dives that need better entries. If I can repeat this performance in the final I’ll be satisfied.’’

Benfeito and Filion were 1-2 in the preliminaries and Carol-Ann Ware of Montreal was fifth. However there is a limit of two per country that can advance to the final.

Competition continues Friday at the Olympic Park Sports Centre.

Full information, including results and schedule available at http://canadacup.diving.ca/?lang=EN

About the FINA Grand Prix
Held since 1995, the FINA Grand Prix is similar in format to the World Cups in alpine skiing and speed skating. This season there are five stops, including the Canada Cup from April 30-May 3 in Montreal, Quebec.

About Diving Plongeon Canada
Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) was established in 1967 as a not-for-profit organization to promote the growth and awareness of the sport in this country. As a member of FINA, the world’s governing body of aquatic sports, DPC contributes to the development of globally accepted standards of excellence in diving and supports the rules and regulations of international competition. Representing nine provincial diving associations, 67 local diving clubs and close to 4,000 high performance athletes, DPC shares a national commitment to advance the art and sport of diving and to position Canada as the number one diving nation of the world.  For information, visit www.diving.ca.

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