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 said she still gets stopped by fans who remember her Olympic feats and has been recruited by political parties in the past.
"I finally thought, 'youknow what, let's go,'" she said. "I'm still young, I still have energy, do I have the passion, do I have the vision? Uh huh."
A mother to two teenagers, the candidate has worked more recently as a swim coach and motivational speaker. She said she wants to influence policies that protect lakes and rivers, as well as those that protect immigrants.
"I think we need a better process of integrating the immigrants in the region but so far we're doing very good," she said.
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. But Frechette said she's optimistic and plans to make headway by speaking directly to voters in the riding.
"I want honesty. I don't want big slogans, I don't want big promises," she said. "I want smaller promises that are achievable."
- With files from The Canadian Press
