Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Meaghan Benfeito of Montreal, Quebec will carry the flag in the opening ceremonies of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Benfeito has won three Olympic bronze medals in diving in her career. She won the bronze medal in the women’s 10 metre synchronized platform diving event with Roseline Filion of Laval, Quebec at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and in the women’s 10 metre synchronized platform diving competition with Filion and 10 metre individual diving competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
However since the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Filion retired, and Benfeito has teamed up with Caeli McKay of Calgary. At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Benfeito and McKay finished fourth in the women’s 10 metre synchronized platform diving competition and eighth in the women’s 10 metre individual platform diving competition.
Benfeito has also won three Commonwealth Games medals. She placed third in the women’s 10 metre synchronized diving competition with Filion at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and then won two gold medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow–in the women’s 10 metre individual platform diving and teamed up again with Filion to place first in the women’s 10 metre synchronized platform diving.
Benfeito will compete in the women’s 10 metre synchronized platform on April 10 and women’s 10 metre individual platform on April 11. Other Canadian Commonwealth Games gold medalists in the women’s 10 metre individual platform diving have included Pearl Stoneham of Montreal, Quebec (1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton), Beverly Boys of Toronto, Ontario (1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch), Linda Cuthbert of Toronto, Ontario (1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton), Deborah Fuller of Montreal, Quebec (1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh), Anna Dacyshyn of Toronto, Ontario (1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland) and Anne Montminy of Montreal, Quebec (1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria).
