London 2012 Synchro

London (April 20) - The medals in the Duet were sealed on the third day of competition at the FINA Olympic Games Synchronised Swimming Qualification at the London Aquatics Centre. Russia, Spain and Ukraine excelled in both the Technical and Free routines to secure the medals in the Duet programme.

The Russian duet, which features Natalia Ischenko and Svetlana Romashina, performed their Dolls routine, which they presented at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai last year, with high speed and unmatched  precision. Ischenko and Romashina scored highly for the height in the boosts and for the near perfect execution of their complex routine.

They finished with a score of 98.150 for their Free routine which gave them a total of 195.950 across the two programmes to give them the gold medal and thus easily secure an Olympic spot.

The second Olympic place went to the duet from Spain who competed both routines to traditional ballroom dances. Andrea Fuentes and Ona Carbonell scored a total of 96.200 on their Technical routine and secured a total of 96.910 for on their Free programme this evening.

They performed a traditional tango in the water which showcased their speed and creativity. The routine was recognised for its difficult choreography and movements. They scored a total of 193.110 to give them a solid chance of defending their Olympic silver medal.

Duet final medallists Ukraine, Russia, Spain - credit: Giorgio Scala

Ukraine’s Daria Iushko and Kseniya Sydorenko overtook the Japanese duet, which went into the Free routine ranked in third place, to take the bronze medal. Iushko and Sydorenko performed to the soundtrack of "Alone in the Dark" as they executed their routine which impressed the judges and crowd in the brand new venue. They finished with a Free routine total of 92.890 and a combined total of 184.890.

Japan’s duet of Chisa Kobayashi and Mariko Sakai were forced to settle for fourth place despite scoring an impressive combined total of 184.320.