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Olympic gold medallist Sylvie Frechette to run as Conservative candidate

Aug 26, 2019 | 8:34 AM

MONTREAL — Olympic synchronized swimming gold medallist Sylvie Frechette will run for the Conservative party in the fall federal election.

The party said today that Frechette will be its candidate in the Riviere-du-Nord riding in the Laurentians region north of Montreal.

Frechette won gold in the women’s solo synchronized swimming event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and silver in the team event in Atlanta four years later.

Since retiring from competition, the 52-year-old has held various positions at the Cirque du Soleil and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Frechette will face a difficult challenge as she tries to unseat Bloc Quebecois MP Rheal Fortin in a riding where the Conservatives finished fourth in 2015.

The riding has voted Bloc or NDP since it was created in 2004 and has never elected a Conservative.

The Canadian Press