Benfeito, Filion capture Canada’s second medal, another bronze in synchro diving

Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion made it 2-for-2 for Canada in Olympic diving, winning the bronze on the final attempt of the women's synchronized 10-metre platform at the London Aquatic Centre.

On a day when some of their competitors faltered in the critical final stages, Benfeito and Filion held their composure to nab Canada's second medal of London 2012. The tight-knit tandem which has been together since shortly before the 2005 world aquatic championships in their home base, Montreal, firmed up a medal position on their third dive, the forward 3½ somersault, which CTV commentator Blythe Hartley noted had been their toughest dive to execute in practice. Two rounds later, with podium finish looming below them, they scored 82.56 on the back 2½ somersault 1½ twists to nail down the medal with a total score of 337.62, putting them closer to Mexico's silver medal-winning Paolo Espinosa and Alejandra Orozco (343.32) than fourth-place finishers Rachel Bugg and Loudy Wiggins of Australia (323.55).

China's Ruolin Chen and Hao Wang went wire-to-wire to win the event as expected with 368.40 total points. Third-time Olympian Espinosa and her 15-year-old teammate, Orozco, received scores of 80-plus on two of their final three dives. Espinosa and Orozco, who despite her youth was able to mirror the movements of her much more advanced partner, broke clear from the remaining pack with their third dive, earning 84.48 points for an inward 3½ somersault. Canada would have needed to be perfect from that point on to overtake them; however, they were very good, and that's what counts.

Great Britain's Sarah Barrow and Tonia Couch were touted as a host-country hopeful, but sub-70 scores on their third and fourth dives took them out of contention.

The Canadians' accomplishment marks the first time Canada has won two synchro diving medals in the same Games since the event was added in 2000. The medal comes 16 years to the day of fellower Quebecer Annie Pelletier winning a diving bronze for Canada at the Atlanta Olympics.

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Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.