Canada qualifies artistic swimming team, women's duet spots for Paris Olympics
CBC Sports | Posted: February 9, 2024 3:04 PM | Last Updated: February 9
Duo of Simoneau, Lamothe finished 5th, 7th in events at World Aquatics Championships
Canada qualified two artistic swimming spots at the Paris Olympic Games on Friday thanks to performances at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha.
The Canadian artistic swimming team — which finished seventh in competition on Friday — and the women's duet team of Jacqueline Simoneau and Montreal's Audrey Lamothe have qualified for the Summer Games.
Simoneau, of Saint-Laurent, Que., and Montreal's Lamothe finished fifth in the women's duet free final on Thursday and seventh in the women's duet technical routine on Monday.
WATCH | Canada's artistic swimming team earns a spot at Paris Olympics:
Friday's team result gave Canada the fifth-best aggregate score over the team acrobatic, technical and free competitions among nationals that had not already qualified for the Olympics.
Five Olympic spots were available in Doha.
The United States, Spain, Japan and Italy also qualified. China, which swept the events, already had a spot as the 2022 Asian Games champion.
Simoneau scored a women's solo free gold medal on Tuesday and women's solo technical silver medal on Saturday.
CBC Sports will live stream action from the World Aquatics Championships on CBC Gem, the CBC Sports app and on CBCSports.ca. Click here for the full broadcast schedule from Doha.
WATCH l Simoneau wins world championship artistic swimming gold:
Chang Yani knocks off teammate for China's 8th diving gold
Chang Yani topped teammate Chen Yiwen on the 3-metre springboard Friday, giving the powerhouse Chinese team its eighth diving gold medal of the World Aquatics Championships.
Chen was the two-time reigning world champion and led the semifinals, giving her the prime last spot in the final. But Chang turned in five stellar dives and led all the way to finish with 354.75 points, with Chen settling for the silver at 336.60.
The bronze went to South Korea's Kim Suji at 311.25. Maddison Keeney of Australia and Sarah Bacon of the United States finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
China has claimed 14 gold medals in 26 events through eight days of the first world championships to be held in the Middle East.