Chinese artistic swimmers made a stunning debut at the first leg of the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup in Beijing, securing three gold medals and one silver on the competition's opening day.
18-year-old Xu Huiyan delivered a standout performance by clinching the women's solo technical event with an impressive 244.9183 points. Xu, a recent bronze medalist at the World Championships in Doha, credited her growth and maturity to the experience gained at this year's World Cup.
\"In 2024, I have gained much experience at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha and the Artistic Swimming World Cup this time, which helped me grow up and get mature. I still need to improve myself and adjust to the new changes to the rules,\" Xu remarked.
Xu's triumph was complemented by her teammates' success as they secured the team technical title with a score of 21.1569 points, finishing 21.1569 points ahead of Australia and Kazakhstan.
In the mixed duet technical event, the dynamic duo of Ji Heyue and Guo Muye continued China's winning streak by capturing the third gold medal for the team, surpassing Kazakhstan and Spain.
Guo Muye, only 15 years old, expressed his joy upon reaching the podium. \"There was a sense of happiness and achievement when I stood on the podium. All our efforts were paid off at that moment,\" he said. Guo later added a silver medal in the men's solo technical event, finishing behind Spain's Jordi Caceres Iglesias and Italy's Filippo Pelati.
The first leg of the World Cup series features around 100 elite artistic swimmers from 14 teams, with events including the women's and men's solo free, women's duet technical, and team free scheduled for Saturday.
Reference(s):
China win 3 golds, 1 silver on Artistic Swimming World Cup 1st day
cgtn.com
