Alberta wins first Canada Games synchronized swimming gold medal in 20 years

Prince George, February 28, 2015 – Paige Hopper of Team Alberta won the solo event at the Prince George Aquatic Centre on Saturday, earning Alberta’s first gold medal in synchronized swimming since the 1995 Games in Grande Prairie.

Hopper received a score of 77.2333 for her routine and a final championship score of 75.2287 points. Audrey Joly from Quebec captured silver with 74.3526 points while Emily Armstrong from Ontario won bronze with 73.8011 points.

“I felt very prepared going into my swim today and super confident”, stated a smiling Hopper minutes after her gold-winning performance. “I’m grateful for the amazing experience we’ve had as a team in Prince George this week and I’m very proud to have won that first gold medal in 20 years!”

Hopper, who has already won silver medals in the team and duet events earlier in the week, is, at only 13 years old, the only triple medalist of these Games in synchro. She also came in first in Tuesday’s figures event.

“Paige has been showing tremendous potential for a number of years and she has already had success on the international stage”, stated Synchro Canada’s National Development Manager Lilianne Grenier who was in Prince George to monitor the progress of young Canadian talent. “Her athleticism and technical skills are what make her stand out.”

In the solo B final, Alberta’s Gwen McGuire took first place with 73.9876 points, followed by Ioana Gheta of Quebec with 72.6320 points and Amy Armstrong of Ontario with 71.9729 points.

For the 5th straight Canada Games, Quebec ends the competition in the lead with 2 gold medals and 1 silver. Alberta follows with 1 gold and 2 silvers while Ontario grabbed all 3 available bronze medals.

The week has been characterized by daily capacity crowds of enthusiastic fans and a wonderful team of generous volunteers and officials who made the event possible.

About Synchro Canada

Synchro Canada is the national organization governing synchronized swimming in Canada. It represents 10 provincial associations, a territorial association, as well as some 150 clubs and 12,000 members across Canada. A member of FINA, the world’s governing aquatic sports organization, Synchro Canada promotes the quest for excellence by developing the athletes, citizens and ambassadors of the sport of synchronized swimming at every level.

Synchro Canada would like to thank its sponsors:

Program partners: Sport Canada, Own The Podium, the Institut national du sport du Québec

Official Aquatic Supplier: Speedo Canada

Official make up: MAKE UP FOR EVER

Official suppliers: Knox Gelatine, AdUp, National Car Rental

Official hotel: Hilton Hotels Canada

For further information, visit Synchro Canada’s Website at www.synchro.ca or follow Synchro Canada on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

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For information:

Stéphane Côté

Synchro Canada

Communications Coordinator