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Caeli MCKAY
Sport Diving
NOC Canada   
GenderWomen
Born25 Jun 1999 in Calgary, CAN
Height1.55 m
 Human Interest 
Further Personal Information
Residence
Montreal, QC, CAN
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
Pointe-Claire Aquatic Club: Canada
General Interest
Hobbies
Mountain biking, hiking, fly fishing, snowboarding. (dulcedo.com, 11 Aug 2019)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
"When I was five, I watched the [2004] Olympics and I saw people getting their medals, and I told my parents, 'I need to go to the Olympics'. I was a gymnast before diving, but I really wanted to compete and they said I wasn't old enough to compete as a gymnast so my parents decided to put me in a diving camp and right after that the camp asked me to join a competitive team. The adrenaline of the sport keeps me going. I love being on top of the tower having my heart racing, and have the relief of hitting the water and knowing I did a good dive."
General Interest
Hero / Idol
Canadian diver Meaghan Benfeito. (calgarysun.com, 05 Apr 2019)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
Li Yihua [club], CHN
When and where did you begin this sport?
She took up the sport at age six after attending an introduction to diving summer camp hosted by the Dive Calgary club.
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
English, French, Spanish
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened." (Facebook profile, 10 May 2021)
Other information
DIVING PARTNERSHIP
In 2017 she began competing in the synchro event with Meaghan Benfeito after the retirement of Benfeito's longtime partner, Roseline Filion. Benfeito is 11 years older than her, and McKay credits her partner with helping her mature from junior level diving to senior competitions. "The first year-and-a-half was difficult because we weren't exactly sure how to handle the relationship and how things were supposed to go. Meaghan was used to Roseline for 11 years, and I never did synchro in 10 metres. It was a big adjustment. For me, joining her was hard because she was an Olympic medallist and I was just a young girl that hadn't really experienced anything, so I wanted to follow her. But the biggest thing she told me was just do my own thing, because it'll be better if we do our own things - it'll just work together. She's been like a big sister. Meaghan teaches me a lot. It feels good to know she's been through all of this as well. She's experienced the same stuff and she knows what it's like to go through what I'm going through." (pointe-claire.ca, 04 Mar 2020; calgarysun.com, 05 Apr 2019)
Injuries
She sustained a serious sprained ankle in the warm-ups at the 2021 Canadian Olympic Games trials. She had already qualified for the 2020 Games, and recovered in time to compete in Tokyo. (calgarysun.com, 25 Jul 2021)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
4 2021 Tokyo, JPN 10m Platform Synchro 299.16
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
8 2024 Doha, QAT 10m Platform 310.05 
6 2024 Doha, QAT 10m Platform Synchro 287.34 
3 2023 Fukuoka, JPN 10m Platform 340.25
8 2023 Fukuoka, JPN 10m Platform Synchro 279.93
5 2022 Budapest, HUN 10m Platform 318.45
7 2019 Gwangju, KOR 10m Platform 331.40
4 2019 Gwangju, KOR 10m Platform Synchro 304.05
4 2017 Budapest, HUN 10m Platform Synchro 315.78
Grand Prix
Rank Year Venue Event Result
2 2019 Calgary, AB, CAN 10m Platform 341.25
1 2019 Calgary, AB, CAN 10m Platform Synchro 305.85
6 2018 Calgary, AB, CAN 10m Platform 285.80
2 2018 Calgary, AB, CAN 10m Platform Synchro 303.42
4 2017 Gatineau, QC, CAN 10m Platform Synchro 280.26
15 2016 Gatineau, QC, CAN 3m Springboard 235.85
6 2016 Gold Coast, QLD, AUS 3m Springboard 243.25
3 2016 Gold Coast, QLD, AUS 3m Springboard Synchro 266.85
6 2016 Kuching, MAS 3m Springboard 243.10
3 2016 Kuching, MAS 3m Springboard Synchro 273.48
5 2016 Madrid, ESP 3m Springboard 278.10
6 2016 Madrid, ESP 10m Platform 197.95
12 2015 Bolzano, ITA 3m Springboard 209.75
8 2015 Madrid, ESP 3m Springboard 279.55
14 2014 Gatineau, QC, CAN 10m Platform 241.60
Pan American Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
3 2023 Santiago, CHI 10m Platform 335.65
2 2023 Santiago, CHI 10m Platform Synchro 310.29
2 2019 Lima, PER 10m Platform 365.70
1 2019 Lima, PER 10m Platform Synchro 320.64
World Series
Rank Year Venue Event Result
11 2020   10m Platform  
11 2020 Montreal, QC, CAN 10m Platform 256.55
3 2020 Montreal, QC, CAN 10m Platform Synchro 306.54
1 2020 Montreal, QC, CAN 10m Platform Synchro 313.02
12 2019   10m Platform  
3 2019 Beijing, CHN 10m Platform Synchro 313.14
8 2019 Kazan, RUS 10m Platform 297.05
5 2019 Kazan, RUS 10m Platform Synchro 272.70
3 2019 Kazan, RUS 10m Platform Synchro 312.42
6 2019 London, ENG 10m Platform 295.25
5 2019 London, ENG 10m Platform Synchro 307.05
2 2019 Montreal, QC, CAN 10m Platform Synchro 328.47
5 2019 Sagamihara, JPN 10m Platform 328.05
3 2019 Sagamihara, JPN 10m Platform Synchro 311.70
12 2018   10m Platform  
8 2018 Beijing, CHN 10m Platform 329.20
5 2018 Beijing, CHN 10m Platform Synchro 290.88
9 2018 Fuji, JPN 10m Platform 310.20
6 2018 Fuji, JPN 10m Platform Synchro 283.20
6 2018 Kazan, RUS 10m Platform Synchro 288.90
4 2018 Montreal, QC, CAN 10m Platform Synchro 293.70
4 2017 Beijing, CHN 10m Platform Synchro 306.96
4 2017 Guangzhou, CHN 10m Platform Synchro 313.98
2 2017 Kazan, RUS 10m Platform Synchro 291.06
4 2017 Windsor, ON, CAN 10m Platform Synchro 293.82