Canada’s Olympic diver McKay finishes fifth on the world’s 10-meter platform

Canadian diver Keri McKay continued to recover from a serious ankle injury after finishing fifth on the women’s 10-meter platform at the FINA World Championships on Monday.

The 23-year-old from Calgary finished third after the semi-finals and fourth in the final dive of the final, with a final score of 318.45 points, 20.4 points off the podium.

“I’m happy with the result,” McKay said. “I obviously wanted to win a medal, but I’m still not 100% full and I had a hard time entering.”

China’s Chen Yuxi defended her world title with a score of 417.25, followed by China’s Kuan Hong Chang (416.95) and US’s Panderella Pamgu (338.85).

McKay severely tore the ligaments of his left ankle when he pinched his foot between the jumping mat and the box during a dryland training at the Olympic trial a year ago.

She still competed in the Tokyo Olympics and teamed up with Meaghan Benfeito to finish fourth in a women’s 10-meter synchronized, less than a point off the podium.

“It’s very special that this happens exactly one year after my accident,” McKay said. “It’s really great to be back at this level today.”

McKay has made his first appearance in an international competition since last summer’s Olympics. After she finished second in the national competition in May, she chose not to participate in the FINA Grand Prix in Calgary earlier this month.