Alexandre Despatie (foreground) of Laval, Que. and Reuben Ross of Regina finished fifth in men's synchronized three metre springboard to qualify for a spot at the Olympics at the FINA Visa Diving World Cup at Olympic Aquatic Centre in London, England, Monday, Feb. 20, 2012.
Canada is rapidly filling up its roster spots in the Olympic diving fields for the London Games this summer.
On the heels of Canadians winning two spots in the women's 10-metre events, Alexandre Despatie and Reuben Ross secured two more spots for Canadian men in synchronized springboard diving in a test event in London yesterday morning
Despatie and Ross earned their Olympic berths after qualifying for the men's three-metre synchronized springboard event Monday in London.
Despatie, from Laval, Que., and Ross, a Regina native, were fifth at the World Cup in London, in the Aquatic Centre pool where the Olympics will be held in July.
"I looked at Reuben right away after the event...I could see the relief on his face and I felt exactly the same way," Despatie said on a conference call after Monday's event. They're not on the Olympic medals podium yet, but they showed enough that they'll be in contention for hardware this summer.
Despatie, twice an Olympic medal winner, is headed to his fourth Games. It will be the second trip to the big show for Ross.
"Today was a really good day," Ross said. "I was very, very excited, thrilled after the event. It was a big relief. It was a little stressful coming into the event. In diving, there's a lot of uncertainty, anything can happen. It's a great feeling right now."
The Canadians will each attempt to finish in the top 18 in the individual springboard event to qualify for the Olympic field.
"I need this boost as an individual diver just to feel better about myself to feel more confident," said Despatie, one of the few Western divers who has earned world medals in competition with the Chinese, who are strong in the sport. He is a three-time world champion.
"I know I can compete, I know it's there inside of me, inside of my heart, and my head."
If Despatie, 26, doesn't make the semifinals as an individual – the top 18 – but Ross advances to the semi-final, Despatie would qualify because he's already been preselected for that spot. Should Despatie and Ross fail to make it to the semifinal round they'll both still be able to compete in a dive off on Sunday for the last few positions in the Olympic field.
A knee injury for Despatie cost him a shot at qualifying for the Olympics at the 2011 diving world championships in Shanghai. He only returned to competition for the first time in eight months last week.