‘Fab IV’ wins four at first diving Grand Prix of season
They are known as ‘Fab IV’ and they are Canada’s four top divers.
In Rostock, Germany this weekend, Jennifer Abel, Meaghan Benfeito, Roseline Filion and Pamela Ware all made the podium at the first FINA Grand Prix of the season.
Benfeito got things underway on Friday with an individual gold medal – first of two trips to the top of the podium – in the women’s 10m platform. The Canadian diver earned a final score of 360.30, beating Lin Jing (359.40) and Suo Miya (337.65) of China.
The next day Abel in the 3m springboard got Canada on the podium with a bronze medal. Like Benfeito, it would be Abel’s first of two medals from Rostock. China’s Qu Lin (341.25) and Tania Cagnotto of Italy (341.05) bettered Abel’s final score of 336.30. The Canadian said she was “disappointed” with the dive but with the season only getting started, has time to “improve on it.”
Benfeito and Filion in action at a 2014 event in Windsor, Ontario (photo: Diving Plongeon Canada).
The Canadian women doubled their medal count on Sunday in the synchro events.
Benfeito and Filion in the 10m platform outscored Lin/Miya of China 302.55 to 301.56. Mexico’s Alejandra Estrella and Karla Rivas (294.30) took bronze.
In the 3m springboard, Abel and Ware (284.34) just missed out on second place to Cagnotto and Francesca Dallape of Italy (284.40) to win bronze. The Chinese team of Qu and Wu Chunting were top of the class with 305.40.
Canada finished second in the medals table with four to China’s nine, as the Asian nation added four men’s medals to their women’s haul. The top performance for Canadian men came in the 10m synchro where Philippe Gagne and Vincent Riendeau were fourth.
All photos via Diving Plongeon Canada
