Anouk Galland wins solo gold at 2014 Canadian Espoir Championships

KAMLOOPS, B.C., June 5, 2014 – Anouk Galland of SynchroElite in Quebec City surprised herself on Thursday with the gold medal in the 12 and under solo event at the 2014 Canadian Espoir Championships in synchronized swimming.

Galland, third in the event last year, took the title with 64.8586 points. Flynne Gossling of Granite Synchro in Toronto, who posted the highest routine score, was second at 64.5221 and Teah Hoffman of the Calgary Aquabelles was third at 64.1145.

“I really wasn’t expecting to win”, said Galland, 12. “All I wanted to do was better than last year. This year my routine has more difficulties and my lifts in particular are higher. Plus maturity was a factor as well.’’

In the 13-15 solo preliminaries, Halle Pratt of the Calgary Aquabelles stands first with 74.1791 points, Emily Armstrong of the Variety Village Synchro Club is second at 71.6556 and Paige Hopper of the Aquabelles second at 71.0618. The final is on Friday.

In the 12 and under figures, Adyson King of Aurora Synchro ranked first with 65.1960 points, Cendrine Lemire of Montreal Synchro was second at 64.8710 and Galland third at 64.6310.

In the figures for athletes with a disability the category winners were Grace Low, Nicole Flynn and Ruby Stevens all of Variety Village Synchro Club in Toronto, as well as Raquel Boales from the Santa Clara Aquamaids in California.

Qualifying event for 2014 13-15 National Team

Phase 2 of the selection process for Synchro Canada’s 2014 13-15 National Team will get underway Friday morning. The top-20 athletes from this second figures event will meet again on Sunday for Phases 3 and 4 when, unlike what was previously mentioned in error, a final team of 10 or 11 athletes will be selected.

The competition is hosted by the Kamloops Sunrays and Synchro B.C. under the leadership of Synchro Canada. A total of 273 athletes from 23 clubs across Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan) are competing.

Competition continues through to Saturday at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre.

Schedule and results for the 2014 Canadian Espoir Championships are available online at www.synchro.ca.

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