Ukraine showed its dominance this Saturday with gold medals on the free combination final and the team free routine final. In these two events, Spain had to settle for the second position although one gold medal was reserved for Ona Carbonell in the solo event after a wonderful performance.
Carbonell, who had top-scored in the technical session the day before, scored 92.0000 for her interpretation of Ute Lemper's cover version of Padam, Padam by Edith Piaf.
With a total of 182.9702 the home-crowd favourite did not disappoint at the outdoor swimming pool of Club Natacion Metropole, the venue of the fifth leg of the FINA Synchronised Swimming World Series 2017 staged in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Canary Islands (ESP) until this Sunday.
"Ona is a special swimmer and she is showing her evolution. At the age of 26, she has reached maturity, especially at the artistic level. Technically, her improvement is also spectacular. She dominates all the facets as a swimmer and we want her to express her maximum in the technical solo and in the free solo", considered Spain coach Esther Jauma.
Ukrainian Anna Voloshyna scored 91.7330 this Saturday to claim silver with a total of 181.6459. Hungarian Szofi Kiss was the bronze medallist (156.9575).
The gold in the free combination final went to the Ukrainian squad after scoring 90.6001. Spain and Kazakhstan, the other two contenders, were second (89.4668) and third (81.2334).
Ukraine repeated success later, in the team free routine final.
For this reason, Ukrainian coach looked "so happy". "Of course we have many reasons to be happy, although we want to keep improving", she said.
The second day of the meet started with the victory of the Spain's Ona Carbonell and Paula Ramirez at the preliminary duet technical routine. They were the strongest with 90.3572.
Ukraine's Anna Voloshyna and Yelyzaveta Yakhno scored 89.1179 while Iryna Limanouskaya and Veronika Yesipovich, of Belarus, stand third on 82.7732 in the duet technical routine.
"It is the first time that Paula Ramirez and I, as a new duet, are facing Ukraine. Beyond the result, we must get the judges' feedback and try to correct the mistakes in the next leg, in Long Island (USA). We will also compete in the FINA World Championships, in Budapest next July, and we will be satisfied if we repeat the fifth place of the Olympic Games - when she joined Gemma Mengual -, although our goal is to be as close as possible to the podium", said Ona Carbonell.
In the preliminary duet mixed technical routine, Japanese Abe Atsushi and Adachi Yumi scored 84.7630, earning a 2.2890-point lead over Spain's Berta Ferreras and Pau Ribes. A score of 69.0838 gave Germany's Amelie Ebert and Niklas Stoepel the third place.
On Sunday, final day of competition in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the duet and highlight finals will be contested.