The freestyle duet at the World Cup Super Final in artistic swimming concluded with the Canadian national anthem playing on Saturday in Budapest. Jacqueline Simoneau and Audrey Lamothe won the gold medal before joining their teammates to take silver in the team acrobatic event.
It was the “last test before the Paris Olympics,” shared Audrey Lamothe after the medal ceremony. An exam that the Canadian duo easily passed, obtaining a score of 272.6457, thanks in particular to a difficulty coefficient significantly higher than that of their opponents.
Israelis Shelly Bobritsky and Ariel Nassee followed in second place with 243.9042 points, while China’s Lin Yanhan and Lin Yanjun finished third at 239.1897 points.
We came here with a higher level of difficulty, new moves and almost a new choreography for our free duet. The goal was to find what we had to work on for the Olympics, so this gold medal is a bonus for us! We knew we had the level of difficulty to get there if we had a good execution and we worked together from start to finish.
Audrey Lamothe
Several swimmers who aspire to a podium in Paris did not take part in the competition on Saturday, including the four duos that surpassed Simoneau and Lamothe at the World Aquatics Championships last winter. The two Quebecers have never stopped progressing and have gained experience since then. As a result, it is not the gold medal that motivates them, but rather the journey that is underway and that will take them to France.
“It’s not the result that gives confidence, but the fact that we improved our level of difficulty and seeing that there is still room for improvement,” said Jacqueline Simoneau, who is preparing to experience her third Olympic Games.
“We’re not at the top of our game yet and our routine is far from perfect. We made a few timing errors, but we don’t want to be at our best at the World Cup, we want it to be in Paris! We’re continuing to work and I can’t wait to see what happens,” added the Montrealer.
A silver team
The day after winning the bronze medal in the technical event, the Canadian team was awarded a silver medal in the acrobatic program.
Jacqueline Simoneau and Audrey Lamothe teamed up with Scarlett Finn, Jonnie Newman, Raphaëlle Plante, Kenzie Priddell, Claire Scheffel and Florence Tremblay. The same lineup that will be in action at the Paris Olympics in a few weeks.
The Canadians scored 194.4867 points and followed the Americans in the final standings. The gold medallists collected 229.0367 points and the representatives of Kazakhstan finished third, with 192.5067 points.
“We felt a great chemistry and we worked well as a team. We work very hard in training to climb the ladder and always improve, so we are very proud of this medal,” commented Florence Tremblay. “Every time we get on the podium, it comes with a little extra dose of confidence for the next steps, but we will continue to work as we have been doing.”
The World Cup Super Final resumes Sunday in Hungary, with Canada’s swimmers one to watch in the team freestyle event.