Three Canadian bronze medallists from the 2012 London Summer Olympics warmed up with a soccer ball drill Thursday. Only it wasn鈥檛 Christine Sinclair and company but instead divers Jennifer Abel, Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion performing cross-sport dryland training before hitting the boards at Saanich Commonwealth Place.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a roller-coaster from the high of the summer to now getting back up again for another season,鈥� said Filion, who won bronze with Benfeito in the 10-metre synchronized event at the London Olympics.
鈥淚 took my longest vacation in 17 years [of diving] following the Games.鈥�
Now, another year beckons, with new-found notoriety as Olympic medallists.
鈥淏ut life has not really changed for us,鈥� noted Abel, who won bronze at London in the three-metre synchronized event with veteran Emilie Heymans.
If anything, Abel said she is feeling more confident and less nervous looking ahead to the 2013 FINA world aquatics championships July 19-Aug. 4 in Barcelona, and beyond to the eventual long-term goal of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
Filion is 25, Benfeito 23 and Abel only 21 and have time yet to move up the podium at Rio.
The Quebec trio is here for a week of training at a place they know well 鈥� the Saanich Commonwealth pool has hosted several national and international diving events in which they have competed and has produced Olympic teammate Riley McCormick and several other international divers for sa国际传媒.
鈥淥ften we only see each other at competitions, so it鈥檚 nice to have the three of them here this week and to hang out and talk,鈥� said Rachel Kemp of the Victoria Boardworks Club, who has represented sa国际传媒 internationally.
Boardworks head coach Tommy McLeod didn鈥檛 waste the opportunity, having his younger divers watch the Olympic-medallist trio for pointers.
鈥淥ur kids have been so inspired and fascinated by watching them jump this week,鈥� McLeod said.
