SSHoF logoLesley Wright

Athlete (2005)

Synchronized Swimming

Lesley WrightLesley was the first-ever Saskatchewan swimmer to make the national synchronized team, competing with them for five years, and enjoying international success at the FINA world aquatic championships, the Pan-American Games and the Olympic Games.

Lesley was born in Saskatoon in 1976 and since she spent a lot of her early life at Emma Lake, she became a self-proclaimed water baby. She joined the Saskatoon Bridge City Cosmo Aqualenes Club when she was nine and her first coach was Lesley Wachs. She and Liane Teplitsky became duet partners, winning four times at the provincials, then at the westerns and at the Canadians. They capped a remarkable performance season in 1991 by winning the gold in duet at the Scandinavian Open. Lesley won silver in solo.

Lesley began training in Edmonton in 1995 and she enjoyed much success with Kirstin Normand in senior duet. They won silver at the French Open in 1995, were second at the Canadians and second at the Swiss Open in 1996, and were second in the Canadians in 1998.

By the 1997 season, she was selected to the Canadian team and after the early years at Harry Bailey pool coached by Lesley Wachs and Sherry Vanin, she shifted her training base to Toronto.

Lesley travelled with the Canadian team to Guangzhou, China, for the FINA world championships and the Canadians earned bronze medals in the team event. Canada scored a resounding success, defeating the Americans, for gold medals in synchronized swimming at the 1999 Pan-American Games in Winnipeg. The performance drew thunderous applause for its agility, form and precision. The Canadians came out with a near-perfect score of 97.396 and Lesley, as one of the eight, said the team fed off the crowd's energy and the team put full trust in their ability and in the new routine. The Canadians also won gold at the team event at the Rome Open and then captured bronze at the FINA World Cup.

Lesley was a member of the Canadian team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. The team won bronze medals and Lesley hailed the positive energy, which came from such a global event.

Lesley continues to work in synchronized swimming as a professional with the Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.