Canada third in technical duet and team at German Open

Bonn, March 14, 2014 – Canada placed third in the duet and team tech events which opened the German Open synchronized swimming competition on Friday.

In duet tech, Jacqueline Simoneau of Montreal and Karine Thomas of Gatineau are third with 86.6835 points. Xuechen Huang and Wenyan Sun of China lead at 91.9300 and Yukiko Inui and Risako Mitsui of Japan are second at 88.1474.

“We were anxious to show our new duet”, said Thomas. “We had solid energy from start to finish. I think those watching could feel it.”

“We started strong and we finished strong”, said Simoneau. “Technically we want to keep improving our stability but we are very pleased with our performance,”

China produced the top score in team tech with 90.5333 points. Italy was second at 87.0778 and the Canadians, interpreting their Army routine, followed at 86.3824.

Canadian team members were Marie-Lou Morin (Westmount, Que.,), Janelle Ball (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que.), Annabelle Frappier (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.), Sandy Gill (Coquitlam, B.C.), Jacqueline Simoneau (Montreal, Que.), Karine Thomas (Gatineau, Que.), Gabriella Brisson (Calgary, Alb.) and Claudia Holzner (Calgary, Alb.).

“We know we can always do better”, said Morin, the team captain. “We need to regroup and we know what to focus on for our next performance. We learned a lesson today. We are confident we will meet our next challenge and be stronger. We are looking forward to showing our energy and strength Sunday in the free team event.”

Competition continues through to Sunday.

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:

Patrick Godbout

Synchro Canada

Communications Manager