On June 10, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Artistic Swimming announced the members of the artistic swimming team that will compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. World Champion and two-time Olympian Jacqueline Simoneau leads the squad, and she will compete in both duet and team events.
The athletes selected to represent Canada this summer are as follows:
- Scarlett Finn (22)
- Audrey Lamothe (19)
- Jonnie Newman (18)
- Raphaëlle Plante (21)
- Kenzie Priddell (26)
- Claire Scheffel (20)
- Jacqueline Simoneau (27)
- Florence Tremblay (19)
- Reserve: Sydney Carroll (21)
Jacqueline Simoneau is the sole returning athlete from the Tokyo Olympic roster, which had placed sixth in team and fifth in duet. Following these Games, the 27-year-old had taken a break to focus on her degree in podiatric medicine, but eventually realized she had some unfinished business in the sport. She announced her return to full-time training in the fall of 2023 and re-joined the national team.
Her first international competition back was, needless to say, incredibly successful. At the Doha World Championships in February, Simoneau claimed gold in the free solo event, Canada’s first gold at the World Championships since 1991, and silver in the technical solo as well. She also helped Canada secure one of the final team quotas to the Paris Olympic Games.
“Competing in Paris, a city with such rich sporting history, will be incredibly inspiring,” she said. “As I approach my third Olympic Games, I am filled with gratitude for everyone who has supported me along this journey and for the opportunity to share this experience with an incredible, unified team. I’m ready to give my all for Canada!”
Prior to her hiatus, Simoneau had been on the national team for nearly a decade, competing in four World Championships, and earning four gold medals at the Pan American Games across the 2015 and 2019 editions . She is set to become the first three-time Olympian in artistic swimming for Canada.
Simoneau will be joined in the duet by younger teammate Audrey Lamothe. The 19-year-old entered the senior national team in 2021, and competed primarily in the solo and team events in both junior and senior competitions over the last few years.
She swam at her first World Championships in 2022, placing in the top 10 in both solo events and eighth in the technical team. That same year, she performed in the same events at the World Junior Championships and secured top six finishes across the three.
Lamothe entered the duet for the first time in 2023, notably placing fifth alongside Olena Verbinska at the last Pan American Games. She was later paired with Simoneau in advance of the 2024 World Championships. The two placed fifth in the free duet and seventh in the technical duet in Doha, and have continued achieving tremendous results together in the World Cup circuit.
“Going to the Olympics is the culmination of a dream I’ve had since I was seven years old” Lamothe said. “Going there with Jackie is really the cherry on top for me. I’ve already learned so much from her, and to be guided and be able to go through this experience together, I couldn’t ask for more.”
Overall, this Canadian Olympic team benefits from extensive experience on the international stage. Six members have been on the world stage since 2022. Moreover, with the exception of Simoneau, all athletes also won bronze at the last Pan American Games and also appeared at the 2023 World Championships.
Only Jonnie Newman and Florence Tremblay, two of the younger members on this roster, missed out on the World Championships in 2022. The two were however part of the Canadian junior national team that season.
Olympic reserve for the Tokyo Games, Kenzie Priddell will bring experience and leadership to this team. Team co-captain, the 26-year-old has already competed in four World Championships and has been part of the senior national team program since 2019.
“Going to the Olympics is something we’ve been dreaming about and working towards for so long — I can’t really put into words how much it means to me,” she said. “This team is so strong and so resilient, and we’ve overcome so many challenges in the past year that we know we’ll be able to overcome whatever is thrown at us in Paris, because we have such a special bond.”
Scarlett Finn, Raphaëlle Plante and Claire Scheffel bring consistency and reliability to this Canadian team, as all three have appeared in every World Championships since 2022.
Finn was also a regular member of team Canada in the lower age groups, competing at the 2018 World Junior Championships and the 2017 COMEN Cup. Scheffel competed internationally for the first time at age 14 at the UANA Pan American Championships where she won the figures, duet, and team events. Finally and over the last few weeks, Plante has massively stepped up for the team by becoming the main featured swimmer on the acrobatics across most of the Canadian routines.
As previously mentioned, Jonnie Newman and Florence Tremblay joined the senior team in the fall of 2022 after competing at the World Junior Championships. The two swam at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships, and Newman also participated in the 2019 World Youth Championships.
Finally, 21-year-old Sydney Carroll was named the traveling reserve. On the senior national team since 2020, she boasts the same resume as her teammates, including three World Championships appearances and a bronze team medal at the Pan American Games.
Team Canada underwent a coaching change only a few months ago, with Anna Voloshyna at the helm since mid-February. The Ukrainian Olympian and former assistant coach for the USA started her new role right after the Doha World Championships in February, where the team clinched one of the final quotas to the Paris Olympics.
ARTICLE BY CHRISTINA MARMET
Cover photo: Canada Artistic Swimming
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