Canadian divers Abel, Citrini-Beaulieu win silver in women’s 3m synchro

TOKYO — Canadian divers Jennifer Abel and Melissa Citrini-Beaulieu won silver in the women’s three-metre synchronized springboard, giving Canada its second medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Abel, from Laval, Que., and Melissa Citrini-Beaulieu, from Saint-Constant, Que., overcame a slow start on their first two dives to finish with a total score of 300.78.

The Chinese pair of Shi Tingmao and Wang Han finished first with 326.4 points. Germany’s Lena Hentschel and Tina Punzel were third with 284.97 points. 

Abel picked up her second Olympic medal. She won bronze in the same event with Emilie Heymans at the 2012 London Games.

Citrini-Beaulieu is making her Olympic debut.

The pair had to overcome some early nerves. Synchronization issues had them sixth after the first two dives.

But the Canadians seemed to get better as the event wore on. While never threatening the Chinese pair, Abel and Citrini-Beaulieu distanced themselves from the rest of the competition by getting the second-highest score in each of the final three dives.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2021.

The Canadian Press