Meet diver Sarah Jodoin di Maria who speaks three languages, has two passports, contested two Olympics, graduated twice from high school, and is working on her second university degree – all by age 25.
Sarah Jodoin di Maria could have been a gymnast, ski racer, jazz musician, or pursued careers in her university majors: economics or industrial design. Instead, when she was 8, she decided to become an Olympian – but little did the Canadian athlete know that it would be on a 10m diving platform representing Italy.
She grew up in Montreal speaking French and English. At 17, she completed high school, and a year later, competed for Canada in the FINA Diving Grand Prix in Rostock, Germany. That same year, she moved to her father’s native Italy and decided to change nationalities. Rules required her to wait a year, so she didn’t compete from 2018 to 2019. Instead, she quickly learned Italian and re-did her whole high school education to earn a diploma required to enter the Italian sports military. She returned to represent Italy in 2019, then COVID hit.
Even so, she made Italy’s Olympic team for the 2021 Tokyo Games and was and the country’s top finisher on the women’s 10m platform (in 14th place).
Afterwards, Jodoin di Maria kept a rapid pace. After Tokyo, she earned an undergraduate degree in economics, and industrial design at Universita Mercatorum in Rome, placed fifth at the 2024 Doha World Championships and qualified for the Paris Olympics where she placed 10th on 10m.
Now – in addition to training – she’s working on a master's in digital marketing at her same university in Rome.
But wait, there’s more. In April, Jodoin di Maria took a moment to complete her story.
INSPIRED BY EMILIE
“One of my biggest influences in sports was [Canada’s four-time Olympian and 2003 world champion on 10m] Emilie Heymans because she was a gymnast like me. She even went to the same gymnastics club as I did when I was a kid: Gymnix, in Montreal. I think she also spoke at my first training camp in diving for Team Quebec but she’d quit diving by then. I don't remember if she gave me any advice but I do remember that she once said that she never misses on handstand dives – and I love handstands! It’s my favorite dive – especially 6243D, an armstand back double with 1½ twist” with a 3.2 degree of difficulty.”
…AND NASTIA!
“But my biggest inspiration of all would be [American gymnast]. That's why I wanted to go to the Olympics. She won everything in 2008 and that's when I decided I was going to go to the Olympics. If not in gymnastics, then in something else. [At the 2008 Beijing Games, Liukin won five Olympic medals in five events for the US – including the all-around gold.] In 2012, I went to watch the US Olympic gymnastics Trials in San Jose. It was amazing. Nastia was still there, but she didn't qualify. I mean, Gabby Douglas [the eventual 2012 Olympic all-around champion] was competing. I got Nastia’s autograph at those trials. She signed a photo. I have it at home.”
MOTIVATIONAL SONG?
“Mambo No. 5 [by Lou Bega]. It makes me laugh. It's always in my playlist – at both Olympics, too. I used to dance to that song when I was, like, 2 years old and my dad was always, like, ‘Put it back on!’ I used to know the words. I know the name Jessica is in there. But there is no Sarah – which is kind of weird because every other name ending in “a” is in there.” (There is, however, a “Sandra…in the sun”)
SECRET TALENTS?
“I love skiing! I’ve been skiing since 19 months old. I used to compete in alpine racing from age 7 to 14, but I did everything as a kid! I quit at 14 because I started diving at 13, and I still did gymnastics till I was 16. One year, I did all three sports and was training more than 5hours a week, so I had to stop something. But my best event was giant slalom. Oh, I played tenor saxophone, too! That's a weird talent! I was in the school band.”
FAN OF ARTISTIC SWIMMING
Of all the World Aquatics disciplines – besides diving, “my favorite is artistic swimming. I think it's beautiful. It's elegant. The legs! I love it, honestly. I think it's the prettiest sport. It's way more fun than to watch than, like, swimming. At the Paris Olympics, I did go see gymnastics, but artistic swimming was at the same time [as diving], in the same pool. And in Tokyo, [due to strict Covid rules] we had to stay in the Village and leave like, 48 hours after our event so we couldn't watch anything. But at least we didn't miss out on the Olympics.”
HIGH DIVING NEXT?
“I thought about it, honestly. 'Cause my old coach from Montreal is Canada’s high diving coach, Stephane [Lapointe]. Simone Leathead used to dive with me. [Leathead, after just five months’ training on a 20m tower placed fourth for Canada at 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.] We used to live together when we were kids. But it's dangerous. I mean, if you miss a dive on 10 meters it hurts maybe a little bit, but then if you miss a dive on 20 meters, it's something else – concussions and stuff. But it looks more fun than 10 meters. And the competition places are nicer. They’re in the Philippines right now [on the Red Bull tour]. I mean, those competition places are really nice.”