Diving for gold

Transcona

Grant Park

River Heights

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/09/2023 (961 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Alex Tiaglei is certainly making in splash in the diving world.

The 17-year-old Transcona resident recently won a gold medal at the Pan Am junior high diving championships, which were held in Lima, Peru.

According to Tiaglei’s coach, Dallas Ludwick, the teen finished first in the boys’ 17 to 19 age category, beating out seven other competitors — two per nation — from Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil.

Tiaglei, who graduated from Grant Park High School earlier this summer, registered 294.93 points at the tournament, diving from 15 metres to stand on the top of the podium. The fact it was the first time the competition was being held made the success even sweeter.

“There’s no better day for a coach when something is achieved that’s never been done before,” said Ludwick, who’s the head coach at Revolution Diving, head coach of the provincial team, and a national team high diving coach.

“Alex is a really hard worker, and he really challenged himself in Peru. He’s never been on the top of the podium at national or international events before, so this is a great achievement.”

Ludwick, who lives in River Heights, said Tiaglei’s first two dives at tournament were required dives of limited difficulty, while the last two dives were maximum dives of higher difficulty.

Reflecting on his victory 48 hours or so afterwards, Tiaglei said he was feeling on top of the world, although the magnitude of his achievement was still sinking in.

“It’s been a couple of days since my big podium win,” Tiaglei said. “I’ve been smiling so long, my cheeks hurt.”

The northeast Winnipegger, who will soon be starting a bachelor of science degree at the University of Manitoba, walked through the moments before his recent dives.

“Interestingly, although 15 metres is pretty high off the ground, I’m not more nervous than when it’s a lower platform. The moments before a dive, I look down at the water and focus on one or two of the main things I need to do,” he said.

Asked about his passion for high diving, Tiaglei said the thrill of living somewhat on the edge plays no small part.

“I feel like a big part of it is the adrenalin. At the start of a dive, there are some nerves, but when it’s a good dive, the adrenalin kicks in.”

Next on Tiaglei’s horizon is a trip to Mostar, Bosnia to attend a training camp when he will train with elite cliff divers as part of the Red Bull cliff diving World Series.

His advice to fellow youth who might be considering trying out diving is to give it a go.

“Even if you don’t pursue it, it’s a great experience. Have fun with it.”