Thomas-Karine-400x600

KARINE THOMAS

BIRTHDATE January 14, 1989
HOMETOWN Gatineau, QC
HEIGHT 172 cm
HOME CLUB Étoiles de mer (Hull), Fées d’eau (Gatineau), Montréal Synchro
AT COE 2006-2017
JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM 2006
SOCIAL FEEDS  

BIOGRAPHY

Karine Thomas is the lone holdover from the 2012 Olympic synchro team that narrowly missed the podium in London, finishing fourth. After competing at the World Junior Championships in 2006, Thomas joined the national team in 2007 and made her debut at the FINA World Championships that year. She helped the team to fourth place finishes at the next two world championships. She was also a member of the team that won gold at the 2011 Pan Am Games.

After a lot of turnover on the national team post-London 2012, Thomas began competing in the duet competition in 2013. In 2015 she and Jacqueline Simoneau won duet gold at the Pan Am Games in Toronto, where they were also part of the gold medal-winning team. She went on to compete in both duet and team at the 2015 FINA World Championships. The duet got their ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where they finished in 7th place. The pair swam together for the last time at the 2017 Canadian Open as Karine announced her retirement afterwards (read press release here).

GETTING TO KNOW THE ATHLETE

  • Family: Parents Ian Thomas and Martine Valin… Younger brother Jean-Philippe… Both parents were national team water polo players… Her father missed competing at Moscow 1980 due to the Canadian team boycott… Grandmother Esther Blais-Valin was a synchronized swimmer in the 1940s-50s… 
  • Getting into the Sport: First saw synchro on TV from Atlanta 1996; was intrigued by the beauty, grace, costumes and makeup… Started synchro at age 10… Moved to Montreal at age 14 to train with an elite club… 
  • Outside Interests: Enjoys cooking and baking… Loves watching Food Network… Likes to see movies and savor sushi.
  • Future aspirations: Is working towards a Master’s degree in marketing and hopes to work in that field later.
  • Odds and Ends: Collects fridge magnets during her travels…
  • Favourite motto: “Believe what you can and you’re halfway there”
  • Why she loves Synchro: Karine Thomas likes synchronized swimming for the friendships created with her teammates.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION RESULTS

Competition Year Location Event (Result) Download
Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA Duet (7) Results
Synchro America Open 2016 Riverside, CA Duet (3) Results
Japan Open 2016 JAP Duet (2)
Olympic Qualifier 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA Team (4) Results
FINA World Championships 2015 Kazan, RUS Combo (6), Team Free (7), Team Technical (6), Duet Free (7), Duet Technical (6) Results
Pan Am Games 2015 Toronto, ON Duet (1), Team (1) Results
Shiseido Canadian Open Championships 2015 Toronto, ON Team Free (1), Team Technical (1), Duet Free (1), Duet Technical (1) Results
FINA World Trophy 2014 CHN
FINA World Cup 2014 Quebec City, QC Team (4), Highlight Team (2), Duet (4) Results
Spanish Open 2014 Castillon, ESP Duet (2) – Team (2) Results
Japan Open 2014 Amagasaki, JPN Team (2), Duet (2) Results
Canadian Open Championships 2014 Saskatoon, SK Team Free (1), Team Technical (1), Duet Free (1), Duet Technical (1) Results
FINA World Championships 2013 Barcelona, ESP Team Technical (5), Team Free (6), Duet Technical (6) Results
Brazil Open 2013 Rio de Janeiro, BRA Team Free (3), Team Technical (3), Duet Free (3), Duet Technical (3) Results
Canadian Open Championships 2013 Quebec City, QC Duet Technical (1), Duet Free (1), Team Technical (1) Results
British Open 2013 Sheffield, UK Duet Technical (1) Results
FINA World Trophy 2012 Mexico City, MEX Duet (3), Team Highlight (4), Overall (4) Results
Olympic Games 2012 London, UK Team Technical (4) Results
Pan American Games 2011 Guadalajara, MEX Team (1) Results
FINA World Championships 2011 Shanghai, CHN Combo (3), Team Free (4), Team Technical (4) Results
Brazil Open 2011 Rio de Janeiro, BRA Team Free (1), Team Technical (1-alt) Results
German Open 2011 Bonn, GER Team Technical (2), Team Free (2) Results
Japan Open 2010 Tokyo, JPN Team Technical (1), Team Free (1), Combo (1) Results
FINA World Trophy 2009 Montreal, QC Team Thematic (1), Team Highlight (1), Combo (3), Overall (1) Results
FINA World Championships 2009 Rome, ITA Combo (3), Team Free (4), Team Technical (4) Results
FINA World Trophy 2008 Madrid, ESP Team (5), Combo (5) Results
FINA World Championships 2007 Team Technical (6), Team Free (6)

NATIONAL COMPETITION RESULTS

Competition Year Location Event (Result) Download
Canadian Open Championships 2006 Winnipeg, MB Combo (1), Team (2), Duet (6) Results
Canadian Open Championships 2005 Calgary, AB Team (2), Duet (5) Results
Canadian Open Championships 2004 Team (1), Duet (3)