Beat Him by 0.05 Points: Oleksii Sereda Wins His First Medal of the Diving World Cup Season
The Ukrainian won his first individual medal in a year.
Oleksii Sereda brought Ukraine its first medal of the Diving World Cup season — bronze in the individual 10m platform event. This happened on the final day of the stage in Windsor, Canada, where Oleksii, paired with Mark Hrytsenko, also made the top 5 in the synchronized event.
The Windsor competition, together with the earlier stage in Guadalajara, determined the participants for the Diving World Cup Super Final. Based on the two stages' combined results, the top 12 individual divers and the top eight pairs in both synchronized and team events advanced.
At the previous stage, in the individual event, Oleksii fell short of the podium by one place — finishing fourth, trailing bronze medalist Chen Liukun of China by 12.10 points.
How Oleksii Sereda Performed in the 10m Platform Final in Windsor
- Oleksii entered the final as the competition leader — in qualifying, among the 12 athletes who advanced, he posted the best result.
- In the final, the Ukrainian also led after the first three dives. His third attempt, with a 3.7 degree of difficulty, contributed the most at that point — 88.80 points.
- As in Guadalajara, Sereda's position was affected by his fourth dive — a backward three-and-a-half somersault. Judges scored this performance 55.80 points, dropping Oleksii to provisional fourth place.
- His final dive of the final, though, proved decisive for the athlete — Sereda performed it for 91.80 points (the best result among all athletes), ultimately edging out Australia's Cassiel Rousseau by 0.05 points.
This performance let the Ukrainian climb to third place on the podium. Oleksii also won his first individual medal since February 2024, when he finished third at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Diving World Cup. 10m Platform. Men
- Chen Liukun, China — 511.10 points
- Zhu Zifeng, China — 499.40
- Oleksii Sereda, Ukraine — 490.80
The Diving World Cup Super Final, featuring Sereda and other Ukrainians, takes place May 2-4 in Beijing, China.
Oleksii Sereda: The Full DeTalks Interview
Watch DeTalks' full interview with Oleksii Sereda ahead of the 2024 Olympics on the project's YouTube channel at this link.