Youth divers making a splash in familiar waters

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This article was published 04/07/2025 (186 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two young divers from Winnipeg returned to the national stage this weekend. This time around, they have the hometown crowd behind them.

The 2025 Speedo Junior Development National Championships are underway at Pan Am Pool. Hometown divers Mila Mortele, 12, and Gabriel Brombach, 13, were determined to make a splash in familiar waters.

This weekend marks Mortele’s third national appearance. She hopes to ride the momentum of an improved showing in last year’s national championships in Regina.

“Knowing that this is the final big competition of the year, I’m going to try my hardest for it,” she said.

Mortele began diving age six, transitioning to competitive diving with Revolution Diving in 2019. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she persisted through virtual diving practices at home, never losing her love for the sport.

Mortele graduates to a new age group next year; she hopes her experience will give her an edge over her competitors this weekend.

“I want to (put together) all my hard work this entire year and just try my best in this competition and do the best that I can,” she said.

Brombach joined Revolution Diving at age seven. His love for the sport has propelled him to a strong start in his young career.

“I just love the water,” he said. “Getting that feeling of entering the water is just really fun. I love that feeling.”

In 2023, Brombach won his first gold medal at the Junior National Diving Festival in Montreal as a 10-year-old. This is his fourth time competing nationally.

Last year in Regina, Brombach narrowly missed the podium in the men’s three-metre final, finishing fourth. A bad dive early in the competition threw him off.

“I felt really bad,” said Brombach. “For the rest of the competition I had a really bad mood, it made my dives worse and worse.”

This year, Brombach is determined to stay focused.

“Just forget about it and keep being persistent for every other dive,” he said. “(Mentality) is super important.”

Mortele echoed her teammate’s thoughts on mentality and the importance of staying positive.

“If you’re really stressing about how you’re going to perform, that will also affect (your performance),” she said. “Just staying happy, interacting with your fellow competitors, but also staying focused and in the zone for your competition.”

Brombach earned a silver medal Thursday in the men’s C 3-m springboard, followed by seventh in the men’s C 1-m event on Friday.

Mortele and Brombach were named Junior Development Divers of the Year by Revolution Diving last November. Mortele said she owes a lot to her coaches and peers.

“My teammates really motivate me so much,” said Mortele. “I enjoy coming to practice every day and seeing them, because I know they’re going to lift me up — make me happier. If I’m nervous, they’re going to motivate me to strive for better.

“They’re all my really close friends, they all feel like family to me,” she added. “Seeing them every single day is amazing to me.”

Mortele looks forward to diving in front of her teammates during practices. Now, they’ll be cheering her on as she competes for a medal.

“Before my dive, I look at them and it just makes me so much happier, and I smile,” she said. “Because that’s what I’m used to, and I love it.”

For years, Pan Am Pool has served as home base for both divers – something Brombach said he won’t take for granted.

“I know the boards, I know where to spot, I know where to come out for the dive,” he said. “It feels way better than other pools.”

This weekend’s championships feature elite junior divers from across the country. Brombach stressed the importance of fundamentals in a competition of this calibre.

“Just think about the dive,” said Brombach. “Think about the corrections that your coach gave you, that’s really important. When you get on that board, think about those corrections and making that dive perfect.”

Mortele and Brombach will represent Team Manitoba later this summer at the 2025 Canada Games in St. John’s, Nfld.

Brombach’s competition ended Friday, while Mortele competes in the women’s C 3-m event Saturday and Women’s C 1-m Sunday.