Montreal’s Simone Leathead made Canadian diving history yesterday, capturing silver in the women’s 20-metre high diving event at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.
The 26-year-old Montrealer scored 221.85 points across her four dives, finishing behind Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland who claimed gold with 253.20 points. Mexico’s Adriana Jimenez rounded out the podium with 213.10 points for bronze.
“I’m still trying to process what just happened,” Leathead told reporters, her medal gleaming under the Singapore sun. “When you’re standing on that platform looking down, it’s just you and your thoughts. Today, something clicked.”
This marks Canada’s first-ever medal in high diving at the world championships since the discipline was added to the program in 2013. High diving differs dramatically from Olympic diving, with women competing from a 20-metre platform (compared to the 10-metre maximum in Olympic events) and men from 27 metres.
The achievement represents a remarkable comeback for Leathead, who finished 11th at last year’s championships in Fukuoka. Her journey into high diving came after a successful career in conventional platform diving, where she competed nationally until 2021.
“Transitioning to high diving was terrifying at first,” Leathead admitted. “The first time I climbed those stairs, I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. It’s like comparing jumping off your dresser to jumping off a four-storey building.”
Aquatics Canada head coach Stéphane Lapointe praised Leathead’s performance as “breakthrough moment for our program,” noting that high diving has been a developing discipline for Canadian aquatics.
“Simone has pioneered this path for Canadian divers,” Lapointe said. “Her mental strength is extraordinary – most people don’t understand that at these heights, divers enter the water at nearly 80 kilometers per hour. The precision required is incredible.”
Leathead’s final dive – a forward three somersaults with two twists in pike position – earned her the highest single-dive score of the competition at 86.70 points. The technically demanding dive has a difficulty rating of 3.8, requiring perfect timing to enter the water safely.
Fellow Canadian Jessica Macaulay finished sixth with 196.45 points in what she described as a “building year” toward the 2026 championships.
The silver medal adds to Canada’s growing reputation in aquatics sports, with the nation already collecting four medals in pool swimming events earlier in the championships. According to Diving Canada statistics, participation in high diving programs has increased 35% since 2022, though the extreme nature of the sport means only specialized facilities in Montreal, Toronto, and Victoria can accommodate elite training.
“We’re seeing more young divers watching the championships and asking about high diving,” said Diving Canada development director François Trudeau. “Simone’s medal will definitely accelerate interest, but we’re careful about progression – you don’t start at 20 metres.”
For perspective, the platform height equals roughly a six-storey building, with divers reaching speeds of 75-80 km/h before hitting the water. Athletes train extensively with air bags and foam pits before attempting competition dives into water.
Leathead’s path to the medal podium wasn’t straightforward. She battled a shoulder injury throughout 2024, modifying her training and working with physiotherapists to strengthen supporting muscles rather than risking further damage with full dives.
“Some days I could only visualize dives or work on entries in the regular pool,” she explained. “You learn to train smarter when you can’t always train harder.”
The silver medallist credits her mental preparation as much as physical training, working with sports psychologist Dr. Claire Rousseau to develop techniques for managing fear at such extreme heights.
“It’s never about eliminating fear – that would be dangerous,” Leathead said. “It’s about acknowledging it, respecting it, and then focusing on execution anyway.”
Leathead returns to Canada next week and will make appearances at diving clubs across Quebec to promote the sport before beginning preparation for next season. The 2026 World Championships in Budapest represent her next major international competition.
“Today feels like just the beginning,” she said, carefully placing her silver medal back in its case. “Standing on that podium made every bruise, every early morning, every moment of doubt completely worth it.”
