SINGAPORE — The first world championship medal of Simone Leathead's career was not what she expected, but she's grateful for it.
The 22-year-old from Montreal captured silver in the high diving competition at the World Aquatics Championships on Saturday after the outdoor event had been delayed due to weather.
"My first thought is that I’m very proud of myself," said Leathead after the medal ceremony. "The competition wasn’t easy, and I’m not used to diving competitions that last three days.
"I’m really proud of having been able to dive the way I did, when it really counted. And my mother was in the stands, which made it even better."
Leathead amassed a total of 314.50 points over six dives for the first podium of her career.
Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland (359.25) won her fifth world title in the event. Maya Kelly (310.00) of the United States took bronze.
Coach Stéphane Lapointe was not surprised that Leathead won Canada’s first medal at these world championships.
“Simone has always worked extremely hard," said Lapointe. "For us, the world championships are like the Olympics. In her last six international competitions, Simone has finished on the podium five times.
"She’s one of the best in the world, which she demonstrated today. It’s a wonderful reward for all her hard work and her talent."
Molly Carlson, who is from Thunder Bay, Ont., but resides in Montréal, finished ninth with 271.90 points.
After her first four of six dives in the 20-metre platform finals, Leathead held provisional tenth place, while Carlson was second. After the fifth round, Carlson was still in second place, only 24.35 points behind Iffland, while Leathead had climbed to fourth.
The athletes’ sixth and final attempts completely shook up the standings: Leathead moved into second place with a dive worth 90.00 points, while Carlson slipped into ninth after receiving her lowest score of the competition (39.90).
Lapointe praised Carlson’s resilience, despite the fact that her final dive may have cost her the podium.
“Molly lifted her arms, and she paid dearly for it (in points). But I’m very proud of her. Just last month, she had an accident in Italy (Carlson slipped before executing a dive)," said Lapointe of Carlson, who won silver at the 2023 and 2024 world championships. "But despite that, she showed up here ready to give it her all.
“For Molly, being here put a lot of pressure on her, so I’m proud of the fact that she took part in the competition. It’s a bit of a tough time for her, but she’ll come back even stronger.”
The final two rounds of the men’s 27-metre high diving competition will take place on Sunday. After four dives, Quebec City's Michael Foisy (307.60) holds provisional 15th place, 144.70 points behind Constantin Popovici of Romania, who leads the standings.
In the women’s one-metre springboard event on Saturday, neither Calgary's Margo Erlam nor Sonya Palkhivala of Pointe-Claire, Que., secured a spot in the finals by finishing in the top twelve. Erlam (234.65) finished 17th in the preliminaries, while Palkhivala (218.75) finished 24th.
In the mixed team competition, Canada's Carson Paul, Katelyn Fung, Amélie-Laura Jasmin, and Matt Cullen placed tenth with a score of 349.20. The Chinese team won the event with 466.25 points. The Canadian team got off to a slow start, placing 21st after the first dive, but later moved up in the standings.
Calgary's Tazman Abramowicz will be the only Canadian to compete in the men’s one-meter springboard event on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2025.
The Canadian Press
