The Pacific Wave Synchronized Swim Club had a fruitful week at the championships in Quebec City.
Junior mixed duet Shirina Ng and Eric Zhang made a splashing debut, taking home their first gold medal. Senior duet Keily Hutt and Kendall Stirrat also cut through the competition with their samurai-inspired routine, winning silver medals.
“As a male synchronized swimmer competing in a national championship for the first time, I felt exhilarated to be in the grand swimming pool with a substantial amount of spectators. However, with the competition approaching, there was an upward pressure trend,” said Zhang.
The pair felt tremendous enthusiasm from spectators, and they were pleased that they could deliver their best performance, he added.
Members of Pacific Wave also achieved impressive rankings amongst athletes from all over the country, with Lucy Zhou, Abereena Xu, and Chloe Beretta ranking ninth, 20th, and 50th respectively out of 212 swimmers for their figures routines. The 13-15 category team and the open combo team both ranked 6th in the finals.
“There is no greater feeling in the world knowing that I was able to leave everything in the pool in Quebec City. Showcasing my hard work during my swim made me incredibly proud and I keep reliving the moment!” said senior Seray Sefayi.
Sefayi achieved a career high mark with her solo routines, ranking fifth and seventh for her free and technical performances respectively.
Lucy Zhou and Abereena Xu will be representing B.C. as a duet at the Synchro Youth Natation Challenge competition this summer, and they could potentially represent Canada later this year at the Youth World Championships.
