They are only just starting out together on the international scene, except that the complicity and the results are quickly taking shape. In the final of the technical duo of the World Aquatic Sports Championships, artistic swimmers Jacqueline Simoneau and Audrey Lamothe took seventh place with 247,1533 points on Monday in Doha.
The Canadians were originally sixth, except that they were then overtaken by the Italians, then seventh, who won their protest and thus moved up one place in the rankings.
On Monday, the Canadian duo took on the challenge of increasing the degree of difficulty of their first figure by 1.8 points in order to maximize their score.
“The risk was worth it because our score was higher than that of the preliminaries. The points gap that separates us from our competitors is also much smaller. We are therefore more confident for the future,” said Audrey Lamothe in an interview.
“It’s a solid performance and you have to remember that this is only the second time that Jacqueline and I have swum together, while all the other pairs have years of experience together and several World Championships under their belt. I am happy with the performance we delivered today (Monday). »
The Chinese Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi (266 0484) finished at the top of the ranking ahead of the British Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe (259 5601) as well as the Spaniards Alisa Ozhogina Ozhogin and Iris Tio Casas (258 0333).
Lamothe is participating in her third Senior World Championships, as she turns 19 in two weeks. Living this third experience at the worlds in the company of double Olympian Simoneau, recently coming out of a sporting break of almost three years, adds even more to her desire for success.
“Jacqueline is my childhood idol. To have her confidence just before we swim, not just that she tells me, but also that I feel it, for me, that means everything! »
The duo competitions will continue on Wednesday with the presentation of the preliminary rounds of the free program.
In the team game
Also on Monday, Lamothe and Simoneau joined their efforts with those of Raphaëlle Plante, Florence Tremblay, Sydney Carroll, Scarlett Finn, Kenzie Priddell and Claire Scheffel in the qualifications of the technical team program. The Canadian team ranked fifth (259,4959 points).
The Chinese are first with 304,1272 points, followed by the Japanese (282,4379) and the Spanish (278,0675).
“This is Canada’s best result in technical team since I joined the national team in 2022,” continues Lamothe, from Montreal, arguing that it is the uniqueness of the training that made the difference in the ranking. “We have confidence in each of us and we swim with a lot of pleasure. We are friends and that is also reflected in the water. »
Canada therefore remains at the height of the fight for its Olympic qualification where the five best non-qualified countries will win their place in Paris. Currently, the only pre-qualified team ahead of Canada in Monday’s standings is China. The cumulative ranking of the team events will determine the allocation of the last Olympic places.
The final of the technical team program will take place on Tuesday.