Team China Dominates Opening Day
Team China kicked off the FINA Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final in Xi'an with a dazzling display, securing three golds and one silver on Day 1. The home squad combined four reigning Paris Olympic champions with emerging young talents for a powerful showcase.
Inspired by the hit video game Black Myth: Wukong, their choreographed routine wove Chinese mythology and grand Qin Dynasty themes into world-class artistry, earning a top score of 277.2258 points. 'We are paying our respect to our home ground,' said head coach Zhang Xiaohuan.
Spain finished second with 276.1408 points, while Japan claimed bronze at 262.5166. 'We loved the Chinese routine. They are so good and super artistic,' said Spain's Paula Ramirez Ibanez, eyeing an edge in artistic impression.
Rising Duet Stars Shine
Teenagers Xu Huiyan and Lin Yanjun, a new pairing just three weeks into their partnership, captured gold in the women's duet technical with a 'Moon Shadow Dancer' routine, scoring 289.6150. Japan's Moe Higa and Tomoka Sato took silver (281.4309), followed by Spain's Txell Ferre Gaset and Lilou Lluis Valette (277.8705).
'We have made significant progress, but synchronization needs work,' said Xu Huiyan. 'Working with Huiyan gives me stability to refine my own movements,' said Lin Yanjun. Xu also claimed the solo technical title earlier with 258.7933 points.
Men's Solo Tech: A Tight Race
Seventeen-year-old Guo Muye grabbed silver in the men's solo technical (224.0400), just behind Mexico's Diego Villalobos Carrillo, who scored 225.0841 with an emotional performance. 'The pressure was greater here on home soil,' said Guo, who is already eyeing improvements in artistic expression.
The Super Final continues with men's solo free, women's duet free, mixed duet technical and team free on Day 2. Stay tuned as rising stars and veterans battle for global glory.
Reference(s):
Team China dominate 1st day of Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final
cgtn.com
