Music: {allcanada} HEYMANS AND ABEL GOLDEN IN WOMEN'S THREE-METRE SYNCHRO

Friday, February 4, 2011

{allcanada} HEYMANS AND ABEL GOLDEN IN WOMEN'S THREE-METRE SYNCHRO

LONDON, Ont. -- Three-time Olympic medallist Emilie Heymans of St-Lambert, Que., and Jennifer Abel of Laval, Que., won the gold medal on women's three-metre synchro on Friday at the senior winter nationals championships diving competition.

Heymans and Abel, the Commonwealth Games champions and World Cup bronze medallists in their first season together in 2010, totalled 329.70 points in the final.

Montreal area sisters Pamela and Carol-Ann Ware took the silver at 291.03 and Calgary pair Caitlin Fredericks and Victoria Kreutz were third.

"Our scores for each dive seem to get better and better," said Abel. "Our big goals for this season are to continue to perform well and hopefully gain an Olympic spot for Canada in the event this summer."

Earlier, Heymans and Abel were rivals placing 1-2 in the individual three-metre preliminaries. Heymans collected 332.60 points, with Abel second at 306.90 and Jo-Annie Dubois of Quebec City third at 299.25.

In the men's 10 prelims, defending winter nationals champion Riley McCormick put aside an injury plagued 2010 to stand first at 431.75. Kevin Geyson of Winnipeg is second at 424.80 and Nicholas Lachance of Montreal third at 375.60.

McCormick has battled hand and back problems over the past year which has seriously hampered his training leading into all-important 2011 season which will include the world championships and Pan Am Games.

"I did what I needed to do today considering all the focus has been on rehab," said McCormick, a 2008 Olympian. "I haven't executed this dive list in quite some but I was still confident and did what I needed to do."

Competition continues through to Sunday at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre.