Canadian diver Mia Vallée wins gold in 1m springboard final at Commonwealth Games

Canadian diver Mia Vallée won gold in the women’s one-metre springboard final on Friday at the Commonwealth Games, adding to the country’s medal haul on Day 8.

Vallée’s best score came on her second dive — inward 2 ½ somersaults —  to earn 65.10 points. She was coming off a bronze medal in the same event at the world championships in June.

Australia’s Brittany O’Brien claimed silver with 279.60 points, while England’s Amy Rollinson rounded out the podium (272.00).

Calgary’s Margo Erlam finished ninth with 239.25 points.

Canada has won 18 gold, 23 silver and 24 bronze through eight days of competition at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Canadian wrestlers add 5 medals

Canadian freestyle wrestlers Lachlan McNeil, Ana Godinez Gonzalez, Linda Morais, Hannah Taylor and Alex Moore added to Canada’s medal total earlier on Friday.

Gonzalez was pinned by India’s Sakshi Malik in the women’s 62-kilogram gold-medal match, finishing with silver.

The 22-year-old from Coquitlam, B.C., defeated Scotland’s Abbie Fountain by technical superiority in the quarter-finals, and she went on to beat Nigeria’s Esther Kolawole in the semifinals.

WATCH l Gonzalez finishes with silver:

McNeil captured silver in the men’s 65 kg weight class earlier in the day. The 21-year-old from North York, Ont., lost the gold-medal match against Indian Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia by points, falling short of his first senior title.

McNeil advanced to the final after defeating Scotland’s Ross Connelly in the quarter-finals and Pakistan’s Inayat Ullah in the semifinals. He captured gold at the 2021 Junior Pan-American Championships.

WATCH l McNeil adds silver medal:

Toronto wrestler Lachlan McNeil settles for silver at Commonwealth Games

Freestyle wrestler Lachlan McNeil of Toronto lost to Indian Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia in the men’s 65-kilogram weight class bout at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

Morais added Canada’s third silver medal of the day later on Friday in the women’s 68 kg division.

The 29-year-old from Tecumseh, Ont., lost to Nigerian Olympic medallist Blessing Oborududu in the gold-medal match. 

Taylor, Moore win bronze

Taylor captured bronze in the women’s 57 kg weight class. The 24-year-old from Cornwall, P.E.I., pinned Kenya’s Sophia Omutichio Ayieta in a bronze-medal match that lasted just 35 seconds.

Taylor started the day with a win over Singapore’s Danielle Sue Ching Lim in the quarter-finals, but she missed a shot at gold after losing in the semis to defending champion Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria, who went on to win gold once again.

WATCH l Taylor pins her way to bronze:

P.E.I.’s Hannah Taylor pins her way to a bronze medal at Commonwealth Games

It took just 35 seconds for freestyle wrestler wrestler Hannah Taylor of Cornwall, P.E.I. to defeat Kenya’s Sophia Omutichio Ayieta, and claim the bronze medal in the women’s 57-kilogram weight class at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

Moore was victorious in the men’s 86 kg bronze-medal match against New Zealand’s Matthew Oxenham, winning 10-0 by technical superiority.

The 24-year-old Montreal native was defeated in the semifinal by India’s Deepak Punia, who topped the podium later on Friday.

Moore started the day by beating Nigeria’s Ekerekeme Agiomor in the 1/8 finals before claiming another dominant victory in the quarter-finals over Suresh Chanaka Warnakulasuriya Fernando of Sri Lanka.

Canadian Olympian Amar Dhesi faces Pakistan’s Zaman Anwar for the men’s 125 kg title.