Saskatchewan diver Rylan Wiens heading to second Olympic Games

Reporter Britton Gray highlights remarkable Saskatchewan athletes in this regular feature.

Unlike during his dives, Rylan Wiens is looking to make a splash during his second Olympics appearance.

The 22-year-old from Pike Lake qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after placing fifth at the 2023 world diving championships in Doha, Qatar in both the 10-metre individual and 10-metre synchronized categories earlier this month.

“I’m expecting a lot of nerves and a lot of pressure, because it is the Olympic Games,” Wiens said. “There’s no way around that, but this time I’m looking forward to it and embrace that and see what I can do with that extra adrenaline and those nerves.”

His first appearance at the international spectacle came at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

“The first time was the first time I ever qualified for the Games, so it was a pretty cool experience,” he said. “This time I had a little bit more pressure on myself knowing that I had already been there and I wanted to go back. It was definitely more pressure on myself and then after having that great performance at the world championships, it was just as sweet as the first time.

“It felt like 13 years of hard work paid off. This cycle feels a lot different, because it was only three years compared to the last one, which felt like my entire diving career. (It was) just as sweet of a payoff, but also a lot less time.”

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The 2020 Games were postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At those Games, Wiens placed 19th in the 10-metre platform dive.

This year’s Olympics will add a new component to the mix for Wiens, as there weren’t any fans present at his previous appearance.

“I’m expecting it to be a huge difference around the (Olympic) Village, around the stands and out in the streets,” he said. “It’s going to be absolutely packed everywhere in Paris, but I am excited for it and I’m excited for my family to be there and for some of the fans to come and watch and hear the cheering in the stands. That really gets you amped up and excited to give it your best.”

The diver said his parents are excited to finally get to see him perform on the Olympic stage.

“They have been eyeing this one since the last Olympics, so I think for them it’s going to be amazing,” Wiens said. “Some of my friends are also coming out to watch, so I think it’s going to be a really special experience.”

Rylan Wiens is heading to his second Olympic Games representing Canada. (Antoine Saito/Diving Canada)

Wiens had to overcome some adversity heading into this year’s world championships. He had neck and back injuries that kept him off the diving board for quite a while.

“I didn’t start diving until almost September of this year. It was a pretty quick pre-season and then I got right back into the competitions, and this is my first major one since I’ve been back. It’s almost a year and a half since my last major competition,” Wiens said.

“When I got back, there was the nerve of just going back up to the 10-metre and doing my dives for the first time again and then getting comfortable up there and doing everything, then getting comfortable competing again. Luckily, that came pretty quickly to me, and I just went in and did everything I was doing in practice and just did my thing.”

Over the past few seasons, the synchronized diving event has also been something new for Wiens.

He and diving partner Nathan Zsombor-Murray also qualified for the Olympics this year.

“I think there’s even more pressure (on) synchro, because it’s not just you who you are diving for, it’s you and your partner. At the same time, it’s a lot of fun. I know neither of us is going to be too mad if the other one screws up. We know it’s part of the sport,” Wiens said.

“We go out there and push each other every day, and I think that’s a great thing. We can use each other during the competition to calm down or to get a little bit of extra energy we need to do our dive.”

That means Wiens will have two chances at winning a medal in July when the Paris Olympics begin. He said he had Zsombor-Murray have both set their sights high.

“It’s been a goal that we’ve had since the last Olympics to do a synchro medal and then an individual medal,” Wiens said. “With the confidence I’m building up, I think there’s a good shot at (an Olympic medal). I’m really excited.”