Women Solo Technical | First event of the 2022 international artistic swimming season

Independent FINA Athlete Varvara Subbotina won the Women Solo Technical event with the 20-year-old performing to a musical medley of some of Elvis Presley’s greatest hits.  With a routine that demonstrated flexibility, power in movements as well as a great interpretation of the music, Subbotina scored 91.5848.

Japan’s Itsuki Hirota earned second with a score of 82.5916, performing to “Mother Monster.” Hirota matched the emotion of the music with intriguing footwork and artistic expression, hiding the fact that this is a new routine for her.

Audrey Lamothe scored 82.0037 for third place. Representing Canada in the Solo Technical discipline for the first time, Lamothe performed her routine to Cry Me a River by fellow Canadian Michael Buble. Demonstrating great power and strength from the very beginning made for an outstanding routine for the 17-year-old.

Male Solo Technical 

Up next was the Male Technical Solo, an event featuring several veterans of the sport, including Fernando Diaz Del Rio Soto of Spain, and multiple-time world champion FINA Independent Athlete Aleksandr Maltsev. 

Maltsev took the gold medal with a beautiful routine that scored 90.4231. His performance went unmatched despite the talent and passion that was on display in the pool. 

Soto, performing a new routine to the music from Labrinth, earned a score of 76.4571 to take second place. 

Completing the podium was Enrique Ruisanches Torres Zayas of Puerto Rico. His performance to “Black Swan” scored 53.7147. While new to the international artistic swimming scene, Zayas’ third place shows there’s potential for more top performances from this athlete in the future.  

Duets Technical Routine 

Eleven duets competed in the Duets Technical Routine, with a lot of new pairings taking to the international stage for the first time. Varvara Subbotina (IFA) won her second gold medal of the day with partner Svetlana Kolesnichenko as the duet scored 93.1321. As two prominent names in the sport, Subbatina and Kolesnichenko delivered what was expected – a breathtaking routine of high energy that demonstrated the pairing’s strength and technical ability.

The Bayandina twins from France finished second with 88.3151. Anastasia and Daria produced an incredible routine that symbolised the passing of Olympic host cities from Tokyo to Paris. 

The Japanese duo of Siri Kawaguchi and Uta Kobayashi produced a high tempo, precise routine to finish with a score of 80.2902 to claim third place. They swam to a theme of the belly dance and showed great synchronisation and intricate movements throughout the routine.

Mixed Duet Technical 

The second last event of the day was the mixed duet technical and, following the script of the Men’s Solo Technical, there is a lot of veterans competing in the event. Taking first place was Mayya Gurbanberdieva and Aleksandr Maltsev (IFA). Following Maltsev’s outstanding performance in the men's solo, he replicated these results to take gold again with Gurbanberdieva with their 90.5697.

The Spanish pairing of Emma Garcia and Pau Ribes took second with a score of 82.7569. The Spanish duo, both multiple-time world champions, showed exactly why they are respected in the sport. Their intricate footwork and amazing power translated into the virtual artistic swimming with their brand new routine.

The Puerto Rician pair of Nicolle Adriana Torrens Mercado and Javier Enrique Ruisanchez Torres Zayas placed third with their 64.1346 score. A new duo in the world of artistic swimming, Mercado and Zayas used intricate arm movements in exacting synchronization and hints at the potential this duo has on the international stage.

Team Technical

The final event of the day saw four teams take to the pool with France, Independent FINA Athletes and two Canadian teams comprising the Team Technical field. 

The French team, consisting of multiple Tokyo 2020 Olympians, produced an impressive 87.7137 score to win the event. Impressive lifts demonstrated the French team's supreme strength and body control.

A Canadian team finished second with a score of 83.2592. Performing to a hip hop and rap musical medley, the Canadian team put a modern spin on the routine.

Competing to the beat of the conga, the Independent FINA Athletes team finished with an energetic routine that scored 81.9504. With this team only competing together since 2019, look for more from this group in the future. 

With the first day of the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2022 in the books, we return for the second and final day of the virtual tour event stop tomorrow with the free events.