| Friday, September 29, 2000 Canada wins bronze
in team synchro
SYDNEY (CP) -- The Canadian synchronized swimming team
captured a bronze medal on Friday with a free program that symbolized the Olympic spirit.
The ambitious five-minute routine featured the
Canadians mimicking several Olympic sports, including hurdles, high jump, race walking,
rowing, cycling, boxing, volleyball, swimming, archery and fencing. It was performed to
the stirring music of Chariots of Fire.
Canadian athletes such as beach volleyball players
Jody Holden and Conrad Leinemann, archer Rob Rusnov and boxers Mark Simmons and Troy Ross
helped the team with their moves, said team member Claire Carver-Dias of Toronto.
"It was a Canadian team effort and it was
people from all different sports that helped to make it a success," she said.
One of the highlights was Carver-Dias being boosted
out of the water as her legs cycled furiously, holding onto her teammates' arms as if they
were handlebars.
"I can hear the crowd getting excited and all
I have to do is pedal my legs as fast as I can," Carver-Dias said. "The team
underneath me is working really hard."
Canada had been third after Thursday's technical
routine, and the top five in the standings remained unchanged after the free routine.
The free program, worth 65 per cent of the final
score, is more creative than the technical portion, in which teams are required to perform
identical movements. Teams can perform any lifts, throws and configurations they want in
the free routine.
Russia won the gold with 99.146 points with their
dramatic routine performed to Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, followed by Japan's
nature-themed routine that gave them a total of 98.860. Canada finished with 97.357
points.
The Russians, whose lineup included duet champions
Olga Brusnikina and Maria Kisseleva, earned two perfect 10s for technical marks and two
10s for artistic impression, with a variety of pattern changes, lifts and throws.
Performing a routine titled The Bird of Wonder,
Japan received one 10 for technique -- from the Japanese judge -- and four 10s for
artistic impression.
"We were going there to have the best
performance we could possibly do and I think we did that tonight," said Jacinthe
Taillon of St-Eustache, Que. "These are the best marks that we've ever gotten so far,
the 9.8s. We couldn't be more pleased."
The bronze medal effort of Carver-Dias, Taillon,
Lyne Beaumont of Point-Rouge, Que., Reidun Tatham of Calgary, Fanny Letourneau of
Montreal, Erin Chan of Calgary, Catherine Garceau of Toronto, Kirstin Normand of Edmonton
and alternate Jessica Chase of Montreal follows the silver medal won by the Canadians in
1996 when the team event was introduced.
It was Canada's 10th medal of the Games, matching
the total from the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Unlike the other teams, the Canadians didn't have
one sequin or sparkle on them. They wore track-suit like bathing suits with the race
number 2000 on the front.
"We think we're making a statement for the
direction we hope the sport is going," said Canadian coach Sheilagh Croxon of the
Canadians' unique look.
reprinted with permission
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