Filion and Benfeito win bronze at World Series diving final

Roseline Filion & Meaghan Benfeito

MEXICO CITY – Roseline Filion of Laval, Que., and Meaghan Benfeito of Montreal won the bronze medal Saturday in the women`s 10-metre synchro event to conclude the fourth and final stop on the FINA World Series diving circuit.

Wang Xin and Kang Li of China won the gold medal earning 330.18 points. Li was involved in all four victories for China in the event on the circuit. She won the first two gold with Olympic champion Chen Ruolin and the last two with Xin.

Olympic silver medallists Briony Cole and Melissa Wu of Australia took the silver with 321.90 points to finish the series with two silver and two bronze. Filion and Benfeito were third at 315.99 and collect two silver and a bronze this season. They were fourth in the other event.

Filion and Benfeito were the only Canadian entries at the competition which is reserved for the top-eight ranked divers in the world in each event. The series offered more than $500,000 in cash prizes for placings at each competition and overall performances.

Next on the schedule for Canadian divers is the Canada Cup FINA Grand Prix competition in Montreal which runs from April 30 to May 3 at the Olympic Park Sports Centre in Montreal.

About the FINA World Series

In 2009, there are four stops on the FINA Diving World Series which was originally launched in 2007.

Last year, Canadian divers won seven medals on the three stops of the 2008 FINA Diving World Series. The Canadian tandem of Émilie Heymans and Marie-Eve Marleau were crowned 10-meter synchro champions after winning one gold and two silver medals.

The Canadian team of Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion qualified for the 2009 FINA World Series based on their performances at the 2008 Olympic Games. Only the top-eight divers in each event are invited to compete in the World Series. At the 2008 Olympic Games, Benfeito and Filion were 7th in the 10-metre synchro event.

Medallists at the FINA Diving World Series receive important cash prizes.

About Diving Plongeon Canada
Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) was established in 1967 as a not-for-profit organization to promote the growth and awareness of the sport in this country. As a member of FINA, the world’s governing body of aquatic sports, DPC contributes to the development of globally accepted standards of excellence in diving and supports the rules and regulations of international competition. Representing nine provincial diving associations, 67 local diving clubs and close to 4,000 high performance athletes, DPC shares a national commitment to advance the art and sport of diving and to position Canada as the number one diving nation of the world.  For information, visit www.diving.ca.

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