Doha, Qatar – CanadaThe artistic swimming team qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after finishing seventh in free competition Friday at the world aquatics championships.

The result gave Canada the fifth best overall score for the team acrobatic, technical and free competitions among national championships that had not already qualified for the Olympics.

Five Olympic places were available in Doha.

United States, Spain, Japan And Italy also qualified. Chinawho swept the events, already had a place as champion of the 2022 Asian Games.

Audrey Lamothe and Jacqueline Simoneau, both of Montreal, also qualified for the Olympic competition in the women’s duet after finishing seventh in technical and fifth in free at the world championships.

Simoneau won gold in the women’s free solo and silver in the technical in Doha. Solo competitions are not included in the 2024 Olympic program.

Anna Voloshyna takes over as head coach of the artistic swimming team. 19. She was under contract with the American team in Doha as an assistant coach.

The 32-year-old Ukrainian is on a mission to bring Canada back to the Olympic podium in this sport. Since artistic swimming made its Olympic debut in 1984, Canadians have competed in every Games, but have been just outside the top three since their team bronze medal in 2000.

The Doha World Aquatics Championships are a last-chance qualifier for most aquatic events. The Canadian women’s water polo team faces New Zealand in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Canada must finish among the top two countries not yet on their way to Paris. Host France, AustraliaChina, Greece, Netherlands, South AfricaSpain and the United States took eight of the ten Olympic spots.

Divers have reserved places in Paris for Canada during synchronized events in Doha.

Nathan Zsombor-Murray of Pointe-Claire, Que., and Rylan Wiens of Saskatoon finished fifth in the men’s 10-meter dash after winning the bronze medal at the 2022 world championships.

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Caeli McKay of Calgary and Kate Miller of Ottawa placed sixth on the women’s synchro springboard to qualify Canada.

Edmonton open water swimmer Emma Finlin was informed two days after finishing 24th in Saturday’s women’s 10km that she had done enough to earn one of the 22 women’s spots for Paris.

The world governing body announced that Canada would receive an unallocated spot for the Oceania region, which has no athletes competing other than two already qualified Australians.

Swimming Canada has confirmed that Finlin, 18, will race in August. 8 10 km women on the Seine. Pool swimming competitions begin on Sunday.

While there are opportunities other than the world championship to qualify for the Olympics in individual races, Doha provides the last chance for the relays.

Canada’s women have yet to qualify in the 4×100 and 4×200 freestyle relays, while the men have yet to qualify in either relay.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in February. 9, 2023.

The Canadian Press