Courtesy: FINA Press
The team of the United States controlled operations in the first leg of the 2020 FINA Diving Grand Prix, held in Madrid (ESP) on February 14-16, by securing six out of the eight gold medals at stake. The North American divers made a clean sweep in the women’s events, and were also the best in the men’s individual finals.
Kassidy Cook was one of the stars to beat in the Spanish capital, securing the title in both the individual and synchro (pairing with her teammate Sarah Bacon) 3m springboard. Jessica Parrato, competing in the 10m platform, also made the double, competing with Amelia Magana in the synchro event. The minor medals in the individual finals went to Bacon (silver) and Emma Gullstrand (SWE, bronze) in the lower board, and to Sarah Di Maria (ITA, second) and Nikita Hains (AUS, third) in the 10m. Ukraine and Russia completed the list of countries with medals in the women’s competition.
Among men, Briadam Herrera triumphed (456.80) in the individual 3m, with talented Yona Knight-Wisdom from Jamaica, and the second US representative Steele Johnson getting the silver and bronze, respectively. In the platform final, David Dinsmore gave another win for the US team, with Rylan Wiens (CAN, second) and Artsiom Barouski (BLR, third) completing the podium. In the synchro events, Australia shone in the lower board with Shixin Li and Matthew Carter, while Canada prevailed in the 10m with Laurent Gosselin-Paradis and Ethan Pitman. Armenia, Italy and Russia also got medals in the men’s category.
After the Spanish competition, where Chinese divers were absent due to the travel difficulties caused by the coronavirus, the eight-leg circuit will now proceed to Rostock (GER), on February 20-23. Subsequent legs will take place in Windsor (CAN, May 14-17), Singapore (SGP, May 29-31), Kuala Lumpur (MAS, June 5-7), Cairo (EGY, June 26-28), Bolzano (ITA, July 3-5) and Gold Coast (AUS, November 6-8).
Medallists in Madrid (ESP):
Men
3m springboard: 1. Briadam Herrera (USA), 456.80; 2. Yona Knight-Wisdom (JAM), 441.40; 3. Steele Johnson (USA), 440.15
10m platform: 1. David Dinsmore (USA), 436.95; 2. Rylan Wiens (CAN), 426.20; 3. Artsiom Barouski (BLR), 353.25
3m springboard synchro: 1. Shixin Li/Matthew Carter (AUS), 418.68; 2. David Boudia/Steele Johnson (USA), 392.67; 3. Artem Trubin/Gennadii Vagin (RUS), 312.09
10m platform synchro: 1. Laurent Gosselin-Paradis/Ethan Pitman (CAN), 382.05; 2. Vladimir Harutyunyan/Vartan Bayanduryan (ARM), 332.76; 3. Maicol Verzotto/Julian Verzotto (ITA), 323.46
Women
3m springboard: 1. Kassidy Cook (USA), 308.10; 2. Sarah Bacon (USA), 297.60; 3. Emma Gullstrand (SWE), 295.55
10m platform: 1. Jessica Parratto (USA), 341.45; 2. Sarah Di Maria (ITA), 305.70; 3. Nikita Hains (AUS), 289.50
3m springboard synchro: 1. Kassidy Cook/Sarah Bacon (USA), 288.75; 2. Georgia Sheeban/Alysha Koloi (AUS), 270.00; 3. Olena Fedorova/Diana Shelestiuk (UKR), 260.40
10m platform synchro: 1. Amelia Magana/Jessica Parratto (USA), 281.43; 2. Laura Hingston/Nikita Hains (AUS), 263.16; 3. Elizaveta Kuzina/Anna Konanykhina (RUS), 243.60
2020 FINA Diving Grand Prix calendar:
1. Madrid (ESP) – February 14-16
2. Rostock (GER) – February 20-23
3. Windsor (CAN) – May 14-17
4. Singapore (SGP) – May 29-31
5. Kuala Lumpur (MAS) – June 5-7
6. Cairo (EGY) – June 26-28
7. Bolzano (ITA) – July 3-5
8. Gold Coast (AUS) – November 6-8