A month before the Tokyo Games, Caeli McKay suffered a serious left ankle injury and saw his Olympic dream turn into a nightmare. “Both physically and mentally, these have been the most difficult times of my life,” she said. I thought my dream just fell apart.”
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In Toronto, before the Nationals in June 2021, the Alberta jumper, who has been based in Montreal since fall 2016, was injured during a practice session outside the pool. She knew quickly that the injury was serious. “The pain was terrible and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” she said. My ankle got as big as a balloon and I thought I’d have to forget the games.
Despite the pain and uncertainty, the 10m specialist kept her eyes on the finish line and wasn’t sure if she could start with teammate Meaghan Benfeito.
Diving Canada/Antoine SAITO
“I was very motivated, but I didn’t know how realistic it was to believe in my chances,” said the author of a 5th place finish in the world solo in Budapest last June. Also, I didn’t just want to compete, I wanted to fight for a medal. Adrenaline helped me a lot.”
She managed this feat and ended up at the foot of the podium with her friend. “A lot of people might be disappointed with fourth place, but it’s not bad to finish fourth on one leg,” she said. After our performance I was completely floored. My brain knew I didn’t need to push anymore and go home and relax.”
Would the Canadian duo have made it onto the podium if McKay hadn’t been injured? “I asked myself the question, but the result would have been the same,” she said. In previous years when I wasn’t injured, our results were similar.
Finally an operation
The rehabilitation took much longer than expected. After coming to terms with the pain, McKay saw her surgeon last September and two weeks later went under the knife.
“My surgeon wanted to see if my ankle could heal on its own, but it wasn’t working anymore,” explained the happy new bride. The pain was too severe and my ankle was very unstable despite bandages. I’m so happy to have had surgery and that all of this history is behind me. It still hurts a little here and there, but it’s so much better.”
“I haven’t had such a high volume of training for so long,” McKay continued. I’m getting close to the volume I want and my ankle is between 90 and 95 percent.”
A lot of changes
The last few months have been marked by many changes. Her husband Vincent Riendeau and his partner Meaghan Benfeito have retired after Tokyo, she’s banking on a new ankle and a new 10m synchronized teammate (Kate Miller, 17), and several new faces have appeared in the national team.
“Meaghan is still in my life and we’re just a phone call away. [l’une de l’autre]. At 23, I’m one of the oldest and some even call me Grandma. The dynamic is different when several people are eliminated. I’m trying to take the lead, which I’ve always enjoyed.”
Baptism of fire for McKay and Miller
McKay and Miller made their international World Cup debuts in Montreal on Saturday. They finished 2nd after two jumps, struggling on the next two before finishing strong and finishing in 5th.
“It’s our first competition together and we haven’t practiced much as a team, but we had a lot of fun,” said McKay. We need to practice more to feel more comfortable together. We showed resilience by taking a good final jump.”
In the 3-meter dash, Paméla Ware and Mia Vallée easily secured their ticket to the final with places 2 and 5 in the preliminary rounds, a final to be held on Sunday in the swimming pool of the Olympic Park sports centre.