Canada's artistic swimming team qualifies for Paris Olympics

Canada competes in the free final of artistic swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Canada's artistic swimming team qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after a seventh-place finish in the free competition Friday in the at the world aquatics championships. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Lee Jin-man

DOHA, Qatar — Canada's artistic swimming team qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after a seventh-place finish in the free competition Friday at the world aquatics championships.

The result gave Canada the fifth-best aggregate score over the team acrobatic, technical and free competitions among nationals that had not already qualified for the Olympics.

Five Olympic spots were available in Doha.

The United States, Spain, Japan and Italy also qualified. China, which swept the events, already had a spot as the 2022 Asian Games champion.

Audrey Lamothe and Jacqueline Simoneau, both from Montreal, also qualified for the Olympic women's duet competition after finishing seventh in technical and fifth in free at the world championships.

Simoneau won gold in the women's solo free and silver in the technical in Doha. Solo competitions are not included in the 2024 Olympic program.

Anna Voloshyna takes over as head coach of the artistic swim team Feb. 19. She was under contract with the U.S. team in Doha as an assistant coach.

The 32-year-old Ukrainian is tasked with returning Canada to the Olympic podium in the sport. Since artistic swimming made its Olympic debut in 1984, Canadians have competed in every Games, but have hovered just outside the top three since a team bronze medal in 2000.

The world aquatics championship in Doha are a last-chance qualifier across most water events. The Canadian women's water polo team faces New Zealand in a round-of-16 match Saturday.

Canada must finish among the top two countries not already bound for Paris. Host France, Australia, China, Greece, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the United States have locked in eight of 10 Olympic berths.

Divers booked Paris berths for Canada in synchronized events in Doha.

Nathan Zsombor-Murray of Pointe-Claire, Que., and Saskatoon's Rylan Wiens finished fifth in men's 10-metre after taking the bronze medal at the 2022 world championship.

Calgary's Caeli McKay and Ottawa's Kate Miller placed sixth in women's synchro springboard to qualify Canada.

Edmonton open-water swimmer Emma Finlin was notified two days after finishing 24th in Saturday's women's 10k that she'd done enough to earn one of 22 women's berths to Paris.

The world governing body announced Canada would receive an unallocated spot for the Oceania region, which had no competing athletes other than two Australians already qualified.

Swimming Canada confirmed 18-year-old Finlin will race in the Aug. 8 women's 10k in the Seine River. Swimming competition in the pool gets underway Sunday.

While there are opportunities other than the world championship to qualify for the Olympic Games in individual races, Doha is the last chance for relays.

Canada's women have yet to qualify in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 freestyle relays, while the men have yet to qualify in any relays.