Meaghan Benfeito facts for kids
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| Full name | Meaghan Benfeito | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | March 2, 1989 Montreal, Quebec |
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| Height | 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 48 kilograms (106 lb; 7 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 10 metres & 10 metres synchro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Pointe-Claire Diving Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partner | Roseline Filion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Meaghan Benfeito (born March 2, 1989) is a famous Canadian diver. She is known for winning several Olympic medals. Meaghan competed in the 10-meter synchronized diving event with her partner, Roseline Filion, for many years. Together, they earned bronze medals at both the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Meaghan also won an individual bronze medal in the 10-meter platform event.
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Meaghan's Early Life
Meaghan Benfeito was born in Montreal, Quebec, on March 2, 1989. Her parents, Arthur Benfeito and Margarida Correia, are from Portugal. Meaghan has two younger twin sisters named Alicia and Chelsea.
Diving Career Highlights
Meaghan started diving for Canada in 2005. She was inspired by other great Canadian divers like Emilie Heymans and Alexandre Despatie.
First Medals and Olympic Debut
In 2005, Meaghan won a bronze medal at the World Aquatics Championships held in her hometown of Montreal. This was for the 10-meter synchronized event. In 2006, she and Roseline Filion won another bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games. Meaghan also earned a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in the 3-meter synchronized event with a different partner, Kelly MacDonald.
Meaghan and Roseline qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. This was a big achievement, as they beat some very strong teammates. At the Olympics, they finished in 7th place. Meaghan missed the 2010 Commonwealth Games because of a shoulder injury.
Olympic Success in London and Rio
Before the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Meaghan and Roseline had not won medals in recent events. However, at the London Olympics, they performed very well. They held onto third place for almost the entire 10-meter platform synchronized competition. After winning the bronze medal, Meaghan said they were "pretty happy" with their performance.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Meaghan won two gold medals. She won gold in the 10-meter platform synchronized event with Roseline Filion. She also won gold in the individual 10-meter platform event.
Meaghan and Roseline continued their success at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They once again won a bronze medal in the 10-meter platform synchronized event. Meaghan also won another bronze medal in the individual platform diving event. Roseline finished sixth in the individual event.
Later Career and Retirement
Meaghan was chosen to be Canada's flag bearer for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. This is a great honor for an athlete.
She qualified to represent Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She made it through the first round of the 10-meter tower event. However, she finished 13th in the semi-finals and did not move on to the final. After the Tokyo Olympics, Meaghan announced that it would be her last Olympic appearance. She later officially retired from diving in April 2022.
Meaghan's Personal Life
Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion were diving partners for a long time. They became very close friends, almost like sisters. Roseline once said they knew each other their "entire lives" and had a "really good relationship."
In January 2021, Meaghan's condo building in Montreal was destroyed by a fire. Luckily, she was unharmed. However, her original Olympic medals were lost in the fire. The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for help. The IOC then made new, exact copies of her Olympic medals and certificates. These replica medals were given to Meaghan in June 2021.
See also
In Spanish: Meaghan Benfeito para niños
