November 4, 2007

Livingston wins a third gold as U.S. finishes Junior Pan Ams with 30 medals  

SAN JUAN , Puerto Rico –Drew Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas) won his third gold of the Junior Pan American Diving Championships on Sunday as the United States picked up five medals on the last day of competition.

Team USA finished the four-day event with 30 medals, 10 more than any other country. U.S. divers won 13 out of a possible 26 golds and claimed eight silver and nine bronze medals as well.

Having already won gold on 3-meter and synchronized 3-meter, Livingston scored 557.50 points for a victory in the boys’ 16-18 platform competition. He scored more than 80 points on two of his dives, including his armstand back with two somersaults and 1 ½ twists, a dive that earned 9s from three judges. Canada’s Riley McCormick won the silver with 546.50 points, and Harrison Jones (Spring, Texas) scored 530.45 for his second bronze of the Championships.

Michelle Cabassol (Montgomery, Texas) used a strong final dive to secure a silver medal in the girls’ 14-15 3-meter contest. She was fourth heading into the last round but got 7s and 8s on her reverse 2 ½ tuck to clinch second place with 368.00 points. Canada’s Sabrina Beaupre took the gold with 376.95 points, and fellow Canadian Angelina Kroupko settled for bronze with 367.50 points. Kaylea Arnett (Spring, Texas), with two golds earlier in the week, was fourth at 350.25.

Arnett and Cabassol also paired up for a bronze in the girls’ synchronized 3-meter contest. They scored 261.39 points, finishing behind Canada’s Jennifer Abel and Meaghan Benfeito (282.00) and Mexico’s Arantxa Munoz and Ximena Lopez Carrillo (263.34).

Steele Johnson (Carmel, Ind.) scored 266.65 on 3-meter in the boys’ 11-under age group, giving him a bronze medal to go along with the gold (platform) and silver (1-meter) he’d won earlier in the week. Mexico’s Mauro Castro Silva claimed the 3-meter gold with 289.95 points. USA’s Dashiell Enos (Studio City, Calif.) finished sixth at 233.30.

Colombia ’s Miguel Reyes Abadia completed a sweep of the boys’ 12-13 age group with a gold-medal winning 360.95 on 1-meter. USA’s Michael Hixon (Amherst, Mass.) finished fourth with 320.45 points, just .20 out of a bronze medal. Bradley Christensen (Southlake, Texas) was seventh at 291.40 points.

Canada ’s Monica Gavaris won the girls’ 11-under platform title with 270.70 points. Sarah Bacon (Indianapolis, Ind.), who won gold on the two springboard events, finished fourth with 246.35 points, and Olivia Rosendahl (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored 193.70 points for sixth.

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