Charlottetown, May 1, 2010 – Montreal Synchro Club took the title of the junior team final on Saturday at the 2010 Canadian Open Championships in synchronized swimming. 

With its Angels and Demons routine, Montreal Synchro got 85.667 points to win gold.  Granite Synchro from Toronto was second (86.167) and Calgary Aquabelles was third (83.833).

"We gained a lot of confidence with our performance in prelims," said Camille Thuot of Montreal Synchro.  "We’ve been swimming this routine since last fall and this was the last time we were performing it so it was really special to finish with a win."

Thuot also won the junior solo title with 80.444 points. Sarah Brunin-Brouillette of Montreal (Montreal Synchro) was second with 79.850 points and Claudia Holzner of Calgary (Calgary Aquabelles) third with 79.268.

In the same event, Emilia Kopcik of Surrey, B.C., with music from Chicago, wins the open championship with 82.575 points.  Camille Thuot of Montreal (Montreal Synchro) was second at 80.444 and Maeliss Roux from France was third with 79.850 points.

"Today was really about going all out and getting the crowd into it," said Kopcik, 17.  "It was a very strong swim and I’m really happy about it. It’s a new one for this year and requires a lot of expression.  It’s one of the hardest routines I’ve ever done and it gets the attention of the judges."

For Thuot, it was an emotional performance: ‘’It’s probably the last solo competition of my career and I couldn’t have given a better gift to my coach than to win here,’’ said Thuot, who will move to the senior ranks next season.

Earlier in the duet preliminaries, Kopcik and her partner Gabrielle Cardinal of Gatineau, Que., (Centre of Excellence) took the open junior lead with 88.166.  Rachel Kowalski and Rebecca Maule of Toronto (Granite Synchro) are second at 85.333 and Gabriella Brisson and Claudia Holzner of the Calgary Aquabelles are third at 83.500.  The latter two stand 1-2 in the Canadian championships junior standings.

In the senior solo final, Laurie-Anne Bédard and Carolanne Gagnon, both of Quebec City (Synchro Élite)  were 1-2 and Emily Whalen of Edmonton (Edmonton Auroras) third. With her performance, Whalen takes the overall solo crown.

"My goal was to be the national champion," said Whalen.  "It took a lot of hard work and a lot of support.  I went for an extreme pace today and I had full energy until the finish.  There was a lot of difficulty in the routine and it’s really satisfying to execute it so well."

Synchro Elite in Quebec City won the senior team final ahead of Edmonton Auroras and PacificSport Aquasonics.

"This was a big test for us too how we would perform at the nationals," said Synchro Elite swimmer Carolanne Gagnon.  "We had four new swimmers on the team and we showed we could adapt quickly to the changes."

More than 150 of Canada’s top synchronized swimmers in the Grade 6 and 7 categories are at the CARI Complex (550 University Avenue).  It is the first national synchronized swimming competition to be held in the province since 1994.

Competition ends Sunday.

Full results at http://www.synchro.ca

About Synchro Canada
Synchro Canada is the national organization that governs synchronized swimming in Canada and that represents more than 130 clubs and 12 000 members all across Canada. A member of FINA, the world’s governing body of aquatic sports, Synchro Canada promotes the quest for excellence through the development of athletes and synchronized swimming ambassadors at all levels Synchro Canada would like to thank its sponsors: Speedo, Sport Canada, Adup Display and MKI Travel. For more information, check out Synchro Canada’s website at www.synchro.ca.