Diving: The Essentials
Last Updated: Monday, September 13, 2010 | 4:44 PM ET
By Jesse Campigotto, CBC Sports
Canada's Roseline Filion will have to adjust on the fly to a new partner in the 10m synchro. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Diving is a Commonwealth favourite. Despite its classification as an optional sport, meaning the host city makes the call on whether or not to include it, it has been featured in all 19 editions of the Games.
Ten diving events are on tap in Delhi: the 1-metre spring board, 3m spring board, 10m platform, 3m spring board synchronized and 10m platform synchronized, with a men's and women's competition in each.
Divers are scored by a panel of judges that takes into account myriad factors such as degree of difficulty, number of rotations, height of the diver at the apex of her jump, body position and angle of entry into the water.
In the synchro events, pairs of divers attempt to perform either identical or mirrored dives. They're judged on both the quality of their own dives, and their synchronization.
Canada boasts one of the better diving teams in the Commonwealth, and is aiming to capture 10 of the 30 medals up for grabs in Delhi. Australia and Great Britain are likely to supply the stiffest competition.
Who to watch
Alexandre Despatie (Canada): The Laval, Que., native burst onto the international scene at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia, winning gold on the 10-metre platform at the incredible age of 13. Since the, he's racked up five more Commonwealth gold medals along with three world titles and dozens of Canadian championships. Despatie also captured the silver medal in the 3-metre springboard at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Now 25, he'll be competing in his fourth Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where he'll defend his titles in the 1m and 3m spring board events, and also dive with Regina's Reuben Ross in the 3m synchro.
Roseline Filion (Canada): The 23-year-old from Laval, Que., was all set for a showdown in the 10m synchro event against the Australian duo of Melissa Wu and Alex Croak, until Filion's longtime teammate Meaghan Benfeito pulled out just five days before the opening of the Games due to a lingering back injury. Now Filion must adjust on the fly to a new partner in 17-year-old Rachel Kemp. Still, there's good news for Filion: she has worked with Kemp in the past, and her chances in the 10m individual competition improve in the absence of Benfeito, who's the top-ranked Commonwealth diver in that event.
When to watch (finals)
Day 7 (Oct. 10)
- Women's 3m spring board synchro
- Men's 1m spring board
- Women's platform synchro
Day 8 (Oct. 11)
- Men's 3m spring board
- Women's platform
Day 9 (Oct. 12)
- Men's platform synchro
- Women's 1m spring board
- Men's 3m spring board synchro
Day 10 (Oct. 13)
- Women's 3m spring board
- Men's platform
