Team Canada won two silver medals in women’s synchronized diving at a World Series event in Montreal, Quebec on Friday. Melissa Citrini-Beaulieu of Saint-Constant, Quebec and Olympic bronze medalist Jennifer Abel of Montreal, Quebec won the silver in the women’s three metre synchronized diving springboard competition and Caeli McKay of Calgary, Alberta and three-time Olympic bronze medalist Meaghan Benfeito of Montreal, Quebec won the silver medal in the women’s 10 metre synchronized diving platform competition.
In the women’s three metre synchronized diving competition, Abel and Citrini-Beaulieu posted a second place score of 306.27 points. Han Wang and Tingmao Shi of China won the gold medal with a score of 327 points. Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney of Australia won the bronze medal with a score of 303.39 points. Abel and Citrini-Beaulieu reached the podium by 17.67 points over Brooke Schultz and Samantha Bromberg of the United States, who were in fourth place with a score of 288.6 points.
In the women’s 10 metre synchronized diving competition, Benfeito and McKay posted a second place score of 328.47 points. Jin Mi Jo and Mi Rae Kim of North Korea won the gold medal with a score of 329.7 points. Wei Lu and Jiaqi Zhang surprisingly only won the bronze medal with a score of 320.64 points. Benfeito and McKay reached the podium by 37.11 points over Lois Toulson and Eden Cheng of Great Britain, who were in fourth place with a score of 291.36 points.
The medals for Abel, Citrini-Beaulieu, Benfeito and McKay will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Abel won the bronze medal in the women’s three metre synchronized springboard with Emilie Heymans of St. Lambert, Quebec at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Benfeito won the bronze medal in the women’s 10 metre platform at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, a bronze medal in the women’s 10 metre synchronized platform with Roseline Filion of Laval, Quebec at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and a bronze medal in the women’s 10 metre synchronized platform with Filion at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
