Spain aims for podium at Paris Artistic Swimming Games | Kinds of sports

The Spanish artistic swimming team achieved its minimum goal at the World Swimming Championships in Doha, qualifying for the Paris Games with successive fifth, second and fourth place finishes in three finals in the acrobatic, technical and free routines. Swimmers led by Mayuko Fujiki scored 302.82 points in the free final on Friday. They performed a routine of incredible beauty and synchronization, which, however, did not reach the level of speed and power that the USA (bronze), Japan (silver) and China (gold) achieved. However, the overall score places Spain third behind China and the US, followed by Japan by one point. If the teams progress at more or less expected rates, China will enter the Paris Games as big favorites, with the other three teams vying for silver and bronze.

“We are happy because we did our best and made progress as a team,” said Iris Tio. “The main goal has been achieved. Now we have six months left to improve the program.”

Russia, punished by a sanction preventing it from representing teams because of the war in Ukraine, and the impoverishment of Ukraine itself, corrected after three errors in the last final, cleared the way for the Olympic medal hopefuls. Russia, the secular hegemonic power, and Ukraine, its younger sister, finished first and third on the podium at the 2021 Games. naturally established itself.

China, on the advice of former Spanish coach Ana Tarres, leaves Doha as the absolute favorite to win the Olympic championship. If an accident, an obvious failure, does not change the conditions of the tournament planned in Paris, then the results obtained by the Chinese at the World Championships will take them into a separate orbit. As proof, the result of the free final: 339 points, which the Chinese scored this Friday, a stellar distance from the next, the Japanese, with 315. The battle for the remains of the Slavic shipwreck will bring the United States into another fold. (814 points in Doha overall), Spain (798), Japan (797), Italy (756) and Canada (738). The World Cup prologue sheds light on next summer’s contenders. After a decade away from the Olympic podium, Spain was faced with a golden opportunity.

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