Abel and Citrini Beaulieu with silver in the 3m synchronization in Tokyo

The two swimmers from Quebec finished the 3-meter simultaneous run on the second step of the podium. Like any Olympic ride, the competition, which lasted less than an hour, was stocky, before this climb to the top. Almost to the top.

Joy and comfort there are a lot of feelings. Perfect word: love. Love wins over everything. We dipped our hearts together and returned our silver medal.

Abel and Citrini Beaulieu finished sixth and final after the first two dives.

However, they are off to a good start. Their synchronization was nearly perfect on the first dive, but they only took 45 points on the second, the worst result for that dive among all the finalists.

Delay to catch up

The Kickers definitely had to raise the bar for victory. The task seemed daunting when the slightest sync error would be so costly.

If there were any doubts, they quickly dissipated after a nicely executed third dive. The 67.50 points awarded by the judges attest to this, and the ascent was underway.

Now at number three, that was enough to keep up with the pace, just that, to succeed, and that’s exactly what they did.

Canadians Melissa Citrini Beaulieu (left) and Jennifer Abel (right)

Photo: Getty Images / Al Bello

Abel and Citrini Beaulieu rose to the podium after a fourth dive of 70.68 points, then a more exciting fifth of 70.20 points.

They covered themselves with money, behind the Chinese, Shi Tingmao and Wang Han, impeccable, and in front of the Germans Lena Henchell and Tina Bunzel.

The swan song and the rooster’s song

Jennifer Abel has put her heart to work since she finished twice on the podium in Rio, in 2016. This silver medal is in a way a sweet revenge for the main interested party.

After four Olympics on the clock, she may finally be able to sleep her heart out in peace, even if her dream of winning an individual medal remains.

“I’ve been very emotional for a while,” Abel said. It’s a silver medal, I couldn’t have asked for a better one […] Melissa made my trip easier. I still hold back so as not to cry.

Melissa Citrini Beaulieu also struggled to contain her feelings. She said it’s unreal for me now. You know we can do that. When you believe in something, you have to go.

This first medal, in his first event, in his first games, would undoubtedly provide an extra boost to an already prolific career.

With the Games over, Melissa Citrini Beaulieu can fully experience every moment of her adventure in the skies of Olympic glory. Jennifer Abel will have to get back to Earth fast. The 3 million singles event kicks off Friday.