Canadian diver Pamela Ware has announced her retirement from sport. She was a four-time World Championship medalist in the 3-meter disciplines and represented her country at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.
Ware, 31, had her best Olympic finishes at the Rio Games, finishing 4th in women’s 3-meter synchro with partner Jennifer Abel and 7th in the individual 3-meter event.
Over the span of a decade, Ware won four World Championship medals, peaking with silver in the 3-meter synchro event at the 2015 Championships. She also won bronze in 3-meter synchro in 2013 and individual bronze medals in 3-meter at both the 2013 and 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
That silver made her an expected medal contender for the 2024 Olympics, but after having the top score in prelims, she slipped to 2nd in finals behind Margo Erlam. Canada only earned one spot in that event this year, leaving Ware as the odd-woman out even though it was her silver medal from the World Championships that secured the spot for her nation.
Ware was also a three-time Pan American Games gold medalist, including sweeping the 1-meter and 3-meter individual springboard events in Santiago in 2023.
Ware called 2023 the “best year of (her) career” at age 30. “After Tokyo, I had fallen into a deep black hole and it took me a whole year to climb out, to find my confidence and love diving again.”
In the post, she thanks her husband, boxing Olympian Wyatt Sanford; her family; her coaches Aaron Dziver and Hui Tong; Diving Canada; and her club CAMO Diving. She also gives a special thank you to her Canadian international diving teammates Meg Benfeito and Roseline Filion, saying that they went from being her “inspirations to teammates to greatest friends!
“You both accepted me into the team with open arms and paved the way for me to grow and become a better athlete and person! Love you both so much.”
Ware enrolled in pastry school in September and finishes in May, saying that it’s “not so different from diving.” She has plans to open up a bakery in the future serving her “famous” chocolate chip cookies stuffed with Nutella.
World Aquatics compiled reactions to her retirement announcement here:
