Canadians Isabelle Blanchet-Rampling and Rene Robert Prevost won silver at this year’s Aquatics World Cup in Markham, Ont.
The duo decided to come out of retirement before the competition, after it was announced that World Aquatics, also known as FINA, decided to introduce a new scoring system.
Isabelle Blanchet-Rampling / Rene Robert Prevost took silver in the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Markham 2023. It is the first international competition under a new judging system. Photo credit: Krystal Yeung
In the lead-up to the competition, the pair trained in three-hour blocks, four times a week.
“We are just doing it out of love,” Blanchet-Rampling said. “We have a lot to give, to motivate, and to broaden the horizon for those who want to move forward for this new system.”
Blanchet-Rampling, 37, and Prevost, 43, took home silver in the Mixed Duet Free competition at the 2023 World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup on March 18 at the Markham Pan Am Centre.
The pair made a strong comeback with their first World Cup medal, after ranking fifth in the Mixed Duet Technical.
The duo earned their silver with 206.1208 points, following Maria Bofill Strub and Dennis Gonzalez Boneu, from Spain.
Prevost said they felt great about the huge score, and that they were still processing everything.
Isabelle Blanchet-Rampling (right) and Rene Robert Prevost (left) swam in their Mixed Duet Free in the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup 2023 in Markham. They took their first World Cup silver. Photo credit: Krystal Yeung
Blanchet-Rampling said the thrill of hearing the crowd cheering from underwater made this competition a special and unparalleled one.
She said she and Prevost are still adjusting to the new scale for scoring as this was the first time they had experienced it.
“We are yet to understand the new system, and there’s a lot to learn from it,” she said.
The pair initially retired from the sport in 2017 and returned after World Aquatics’ revamp to the scoring system last October.
The new system allows for more objective scoring criteria, with scientific measuring tools and mathematical calculations for the level of difficulty of each performance.
Higa Moe (right) and Mashiro Yasunaga (left) swam to their women's duet free in the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Markham 2023. They took bronze. Photo credit: Krystal Yeung
This new change brings about new challenges and uncertainties.
Japanese women’s duet technical bronze medalist, Mashiro Yasunaga, said that she and her partner didn’t know what to expect nor what to do under the new scoring system.
Luckily, they got everything settled and laid out before the World Cup, Yasunaga said.
She said although her coaches and the pair themselves were satisfied by the performance, the score was slightly lower than what she expected.
Mixed duet technical champions from China, Wentao Cheng and Haoyu Shi, said they changed their training to better adapt to the new system.
Cheng said the new system requires stronger technical abilities and skills, and the pair is boosting their level of difficulty for the next competition.
However, the Canadian pair, Blanchet-Rempling and Prevost, saw this as a great opportunity to rejoin the competitive field.
“We definitely are very happy to see this judging system being implemented,” she said. “It brings an era of less subjective judging standards.”
Prevost said he thought it was a good time to return to the sport and see what he could bring internationally.
“Age, plus two jobs, are very, very tough,” Prevost said. “But I have a passion for synchronized swimming.”
Currently, Prevost is the only male artistic swimmer in Canada, but said he hopes to inspire others.
The World Cup silver medalists have shifted their focus to the qualifiers taking place next week, which will open the door to nationals in Calgary in May, Blanchet-Rampling said.
She also said they are keeping an eye on the World Championships and the Pan-American tryouts for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
As duets and teams are now incorporating more men into the game, Prevost said he wants to try his hand at these events next year.
“Synchronized swimming is very hard for the men,” Prevost said.
But one can excel in the sport with patience and perseverance, he said.
“I think there’s so much positive to come forward,” Blanchet-Rampling said. “We will have to wait and see in the coming years how it gets adopted and adjusted.”
“It’s actually really good in the sense of what we can bring to the future,” she said.