< back
Jacqueline SIMONEAU
Sport Artistic Swimming
NOC Canada   
GenderWomen
Born29 Sep 1996 in Montreal, CAN
Height1.65 m
 Human Interest 
General Interest
Hobbies
Listening to podcasts, being part of a robotics team, kayaking. (olympic.ca, 11 Aug 2019)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
As a child she practised artistic swimming, diving, water polo and swimming, but narrowed the sports down to diving and artistic swimming. She had a diary listing the pros and cons of both, and was eventually forced to choose when she was scheduled to compete in both sports on the same day. "I always loved participating in many different sports as a kid and had trouble picking just one. In my search for finding a sport that would cover many different aspects, I discovered synchronised swimming. It is a sport that requires cross training and I can do everything that I love - running, weights, speed swimming, diving, water polo, trampoline and much more."
General Interest
Hero / Idol
Canadian artistic gymnast Kyle Shewfelt, Russian artistic swimmer Natalia Ishchenko. (journalmetro.com, 02 Oct 2017; synchro.ca, 16 Aug 2016)
Awards and honours
She was named the 2012 Athlete of the Year by Synchro Canada. (synchro.ca, 2013)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
Gabor Szauder [national]
When and where did you begin this sport?
She took up the sport at age eight. She was at diving practice when she became interested in the artistic swimmers at the other end of the pool. "I moved from a small town in Quebec to a bigger city, Montreal. That's where I really discovered water sports."
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Athlete, Public Speaker, Student
Languages
English, French
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto
"A healthy mind in a healthy body." (olympic.ca, 11 Aug 2019)
International Debut
Year
2012
Competing for
Canada
Further Personal Information
Higher education
Health Science - Vanier College: Saint-Laurent, QC, CAN
General Interest
Other information
TURNING POINT
She believes winning bronze in the solo event at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Volos, Greece, was a turning point for her in the sport. "It was my first year being on junior level. I was 15 years old, and there wasn't a lot of expectations set up for me, coming from my federation, coming from the coaches. It was more, you know, get some experience under your belt. I just had fun with the whole process. I really learned a lot getting to watch the best countries in the world at the junior level train before that competition, like Russia, Japan. I was able to come home with Canada's only medal at that competition which kind of catapulted my career at that point too to join the Olympic team and to go to my second junior worlds. I'm really thankful for that 2012 junior worlds experience." (Brandon's Sports Talk YouTube channel, 02 Sep 2021)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She is a spokesperson for Coeliaque Quebec, having been diagnosed with Coeliac disease when she was younger. She has also worked with other charities including Fondation des Etoiles, the Make a Wish Foundation, and Fast and Female. In 2021 she became member of athletes' commission of the Canadian Olympic Committee. "We play a very diverse support role for athletes, ranging from sitting on committees, marketing, and asserting their values and rights when negotiating contracts." (journaldechambly.com, 30 Nov 2021, 23 May 2021; olympic.ca, 02 Nov 2021; vaniercollege.qc.ca, 30 Jun 2020)

FURTHER EDUCATION
In 2021 she began studying for a degree in podiatric medicine at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivieres in Canada. "I always knew I wanted to go to medicine. I love helping people and have always been curious. I was curious about how the body works. In my Olympic career, I have had several foot injuries, including tendinitis. Each time, I was curious as to how the body worked, how it got there and how it was going to get over it. I keep my horizons open. I'm thinking of maybe moving towards surgery or maybe even opening a clinic. I would also like to go back to my sporting roots by offering my services to athletes." (LinkedIn profile, 20 Dec 2021; lhebdojournal.com, 18 Nov 2021; lenouvelliste.ca, 27 Oct 2021; Brandon's Sports Talk YouTube channel, 02 Sep 2021)
Further Personal Information
Residence
Trois-Rivières, QC, CAN
General Interest
Injuries
In 2015 she was hospitalised after suffering a haemorrhage caused by a stomach ulcer. It was a side effect of an anti-inflammatory drug she was taking at the time to treat tendinitis in her right foot. (lenouvelliste.ca, 27 Oct 2021)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs
"I have a few [rituals]. One of them is eating a chocolate bar before I go and perform. I have that about 45 minutes before I go and compete. And then about two minutes before I actually walk out and dive into the pool, I have contact lenses, so, I fill up my goggles with some water and I flip them onto my eyes and turn my head upside down or at least look up. This sticks my contact lenses on so I can see in the water. And the last thing I do is I give my coach the biggest hug possible before going out there and competing." (Brandon's Sports Talk YouTube channel, 02 Sep 2021)
Nicknames
Jackie (Twitter profile, 30 Dec 2021)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
5 2021 Tokyo, JPN Duet 184.479
6 2021 Tokyo, JPN Team  
7 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA Duet 179.892
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
2 2024 Doha, QAT Solo Technical Routine 269.276
1 2024 Doha, QAT Solo Free Routine 264.820
5 2024 Doha, QAT Duet Free Routine 239.056
6 2024 Doha, QAT Team Technical Routine 253.355
7 2024 Doha, QAT Duet Technical Routine 247.153 
5 2019 Gwangju, KOR Solo Free Routine 90.700
5 2019 Gwangju, KOR Solo Technical Routine 89.293
7 2019 Gwangju, KOR Team Technical Routine  
6 2019 Gwangju, KOR Duet Technical Routine 88.865 
4 2019 Gwangju, KOR Team Highlights 89.933 
7 2019 Gwangju, KOR Team Free Routine  
7 2019 Gwangju, KOR Duet Free Routine 89.766
6 2017 Budapest, HUN Solo Free Routine 90.133
5 2017 Budapest, HUN Solo Technical Routine 89.500
7 2017 Budapest, HUN Team Free Routine 88.800
7 2017 Budapest, HUN Team Technical Routine 86.204
7 2017 Budapest, HUN Duet Free Routine 89.000
7 2017 Budapest, HUN Duet Technical Routine 87.652
6 2015 Kazan, RUS Solo Technical Routine 89.024
6 2015 Kazan, RUS Solo Free Routine 90.233
6 2015 Kazan, RUS Free Routine Combination 90.367
6 2015 Kazan, RUS Duet Technical Routine 89.418
6 2015 Kazan, RUS Team Technical Routine 88.889 
7 2015 Kazan, RUS Team Free Routine 90.000
7 2015 Kazan, RUS Duet Free Routine 89.367 
6 2013 Barcelona, ESP Team Free Routine 88.620
5 2013 Barcelona, ESP Team Technical Routine 90.300
5 2013 Barcelona, ESP Free Routine Combination 90.410
FINA World Trophy
Rank Year Venue Event Result
3 2014 Beijing, CHN Total 362.834