World junior champ Xu Huiyan, 19, soared to a career milestone on Saturday in Singapore, capturing the Chinese mainland’s first-ever women’s solo technical gold at the World Aquatics Championships. Her score of 272.9917 points clinched top spot in a fiercely contested final.
Competing alongside seasoned athletes as a fresh face on the senior stage, Xu delivered a dynamic routine combining precision, artistic flair, and technical mastery. She finished ahead of neutral athlete Vasilina Khandoshka, who scored 260.5416 to take silver, and Spain’s Iris Tio Casas, who earned bronze with 260.2917.
Earlier in the day, Xu also lent her talents to the team free event, helping the Chinese mainland squad secure first place in preliminaries and set the tone for the finals.
On the men’s side, the Chinese mainland’s Guo Muye narrowly missed the podium, landing fourth with 235.0725 points in a debut field. Russia’s Aleksandr Maltsev—competing as a neutral athlete—captured gold in his solo technical debut with 251.7133 points. Spain’s Dennis Gonzalez and Mexico’s Diego Carrillo rounded out the podium with 241.1667 and 238.1600 points, respectively.
At 30, Maltsev has already made history as the first male artistic swimmer from Russia to break through on the world stage, previously earning silver in the mixed duet at the 2015 World Championships when men first entered the discipline.
With Xu’s breakthrough performance and Maltsev’s memorable debut, the Singapore meet highlighted a new era of artistic swimming where youth and innovation push the sport forward.
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Xu wins women's solo technical gold at World Aquatics Championships
cgtn.com
