For the first time at the Olympics, the team event in Paris included three programs: the technical, free and acrobatic routines, with the final standings determined by the aggregate score of the programs.
The Canadian team, going into the event with some of the highest declared degrees of difficulty in the field, delivered 3 nights of basemark-free swimming that resulted in a global score of 859.22, good for 6th position in the final standings.
After a 7th position in the team technical event, followed by an impressive 5th in the team free event where they reached the highest degree of difficulty ever achieved in the event, Canada took to the pool sitting in 6thposition for their hip-hop themed acrobatic routine. They delivered a connected performance that earned them 253.06 points and cemented their final position in the standings.
“Tonight was magical,” said team member Claire Scheffel. “To look up in the crowd and see the chunks of red from our friends and families in the crowd, it was truly a special moment. As a team, we love to dance and this routine is just fun for us – it’s great way to express ourselves and let it all out.”
“We just swam our third routine without a basemark in three days, and we couldn’t be prouder,” added Florence Tremblay.
China won the team gold medal with a score of 996.14, as the United States and Spain completed the podium.
Canada’s Olympic team in Paris was:
Sydney Carroll* (Saskatoon, Sask.)
Scarlett Finn (Toronto, Ont.)
Audrey Lamothe (Montreal, Que.)
Jonnie Newman (Calgary, Alta.)
Raphaelle Plante (Québec, Que.)
Kenzie Priddell (Regina, Sask.)
Claire Scheffel (Brantford, Ont.)
Jacqueline Simoneau (Saint-Laurent, Que)
Florence Tremblay (Rimouski, Que.)
The team also included the following coaches and support staff:
Kerri Morgan (Oakville, Ont.) – Team Leader & Chief Sport Officer
Anna Voloshyna (Kharkiv, Ukraine) – Head Coach
Kasia Kulesza (Laval, Que.) – Coach
Yelyzaveta Yakhno (Kharkiv, Ukraine) – Coach
Maude Alexandre-D’Anjou (Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que.) – Physiotherapist