A beautiful surprise for Marie-Ève Marleau

With a big smile, Marie-Ève left the pool after her last lap to jump into the arms of César Henderson, her coach from day one.

She had just earned the best result of her international career from the tower. She had placed 22nd at the last World Cup diving meet. In 2006 she had obtained a sixth place while many divers were absent. “It is the best performance of my life,” she said, during an interview with Courrier Laval.

Her goal was to reach the semi-finals and she surpassed herself by reaching the finals.

She amassed 332.10 points with four good dives out of five.

Unfortunately, she missed her second dive scoring only 39.06 points. Exiting the pool, she hung her head in disappointment. “I certainly could have placed higher if I had made this dive. It has given me problems all year. I am content with my seventh place finish even though I could have finished fifth or sixth,” she said.

She quickly forgot her bad dive, performing her best dive in the next round. The judges awarded her 81.60 points.

“It was a marvelous Olympic experience. I tried to appreciate each instant of the finals. I have never cried as much with joy. These games went by very fast, too fast,” she added.

“It was a difficult evening for me. I was very emotional and a bit stressed. The pressure of the Olympics hit me,” she admitted. “My last dive saved me, just like in the Olympic trials. I keep my best for last,” she exclaimed.

The 26-year-old athlete achieved a good performance with 335.25 points, taking seventh place in the semi-finals. She, therefore, reached the finals as the 12 best divers advance. “I was calm for the semi-final. I had nothing to lose. I was consistent during the training and knew I would rebound.

“We caught up over the last year. Émilie deserved a podium finish. After my last dive, I sat in the stands with the other Canadians, my mother Diane and my brother François, to encourage her,” she admitted. “I have a big smile since my last dive. I have kept it. It’s wonderful what is happening to Emilie,” she said, her voice filled with emotion.