Pamela Ware held off diving podium, places 4th in 1m springboard at aquatics worlds

Diver Pamela Ware came close to securing Canada's first medal at the World Aquatics Championships, but ended up settling for fourth in the one-metre springboard event on Saturday in Fukuoka, Japan.

Ware, of Longueuil, Que., finished the final with a total score of 284.40 points, just 0.65 points behind bronze medallist Aranza Vazquez Montano of Mexico.

Vazquez Montano saved her best dive for last and bumped Ware off the podium with a total score of 285.05.

"I wasn't exactly sure where I stood in the rankings and when I saw that, I started doing mathematical calculations with Maha Eissa, a competitor from Egypt," Ware said. "In the end, Aranza beat me by less than one point, but I was still happy, because she's one of my best friends. I'm very proud of myself and very proud of her, especially since it's her first international medal."

Chinese diver Lin Shan won the gold medal with a final score of 318.60 points, well ahead of her compatriot Li Yajie (306.35).

Ware, 30, had not competed in the one-metre event since 2014.

"It's been a long time since I competed in this category internationally, and frankly, my expectations were pretty low. I just wanted to enjoy myself and dive as well as I could, and that's what I did," she said.

Mia Vallée of Beaconsfield, Que., who won bronze at the 2022 world championships, failed to qualify for the final.Ware and Vallée will team up in the three-metre synchronized competition, which is scheduled for Monday.

Also on Saturday, Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Kate Miller placed fifth in the mixed 10-metre platform event.

The diving competition continues Sunday with the women's 10-metre synchronized event, featuring Canada's Caeli McKay and Kate Miller.

In artistic swimming, Montreal's Audrey