KAZAN, Russia — It took more than a few moments for it to sink in with Jennifer Abel that she had won her first-ever gold medal on the FINA Diving World Series.
Abel, from Laval, Que., commanded the field with 330.60 points in the women's three-mere springboard competition on Sunday, the final day of competition at the World Series event. Abel was exactly 27 points ahead of Lin Shan, and 28.40 points beyond Chang Yani, both of China.
"I was expecting to be more excited but I was still in the zone when I realized that I was winning," said the 27-year-old Abel. "The way I reacted was not the way I was expecting when I was imagining myself winning."
It was a remarkable turnaround for Abel, who was unhappy with her preliminary performance. She said she calmed herself down at the hotel between the preliminaries and the final.
"I was just trying too much while it was not necessary and I was not focused on the right thing at the right moment," said Abel. "I was thinking too much about everything instead of just doing my dives."
Earlier in the day Montreal's Pamela Ware was fourth in semifinal B with 286.55 points and did not advance to the final.
To close out the World Series, Abel and teammate Francois Imbeau-Dulac were fourth in the mixed three-metre synchro springboard with 300.27 points, while Domonic Bedggood and Maddison Keeney of Australia were triumphant with 318.12 points.
The Canadian Press
