A wrap up of all the Artistic Swimming action on Day 7 of the World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka 2023.
Excitement and suspense filled the air at the Marine Messe A Aquatic Center in Fukuoka, Japan from beginning to end during the final round of the Women's Free Duet at the World Aquatics Championships – Fukuoka 2023. China, Japan, and Italy, who all received base marks in the preliminary round, started in the first half of the final. The second half featured Austria, Ukraine, the United States, and Spain.
When Austrian sisters Anna-Maria and Eirini Alexandri finally presented their choreography "Condors," they knew that they could not afford to rely on base marks if they wanted to reach the podium. The Chinese and Japanese duo had already earned high scores, so the Alexandri sisters needed to execute their routine with the highest possible difficulty in order to win. They entered the final round with a declared difficulty of 41.05, and they successfully executed their routine to be awarded a total of 255.4583 points. This narrowly surpassed the Chinese Wang sisters, who won the silver medal. An excited Anna-Maria Alexandri said, "I felt really well in the water. I didn't feel tired. I was stressed because we were fighting for a medal, and even more because we qualified in fifth place in the preliminaries."
Eirini-Marina Alexandri on their family connection:
We have a different kind of connection, but it's one heart. We feel each other and we know how each other feels in the water. Just by seeing her I know what she is thinking. The connection is really special. We have another sister who also competes in artistic swimming. I It's amazing. All three of us are at the same level in Artistic Swimming. Our sister celebrated two medals and now we can celebrate another one together as a family.
The Chinese twins, Liuyi Wang and Qianyi Wang, showcased their routine themed "Cheetah" and received three base marks in preliminaries. However, the Wang twins were able to execute their routine without any mistakes in the final round, earning 38.75 difficulty points and a total of 255.2480 points, which secured them the silver medal.
Liuyi Wang expressed satisfaction with their performance, saying, "I think today's performance was well executed. After the preliminaries, we made some adjustments to the routine, and thanks to that, we were able to deliver a good performance and effectively convey the presentation's meaning in the finals."
Sister Qianyi added, "Today's performance in the final was generally better than in the preliminaries. I think it's great because we were able to demonstrate what we came here to do."
The Technical Duet World Champions, Moe Higa, and Mashiro Yasunaga of Japan, took the stage with their captivating "Black Panther" choreography. The Japanese duo, who received four base marks in the preliminary round, flawlessly executed the 39.40 declared difficulty, earning a total of 249.5167 points and setting the bar for the other eleven finalists to surpass. Ultimately, their impressive score secured them the third step on the podium, winning the bronze medal.
Somewhat disappointed, Mashiro Yasunaga, said, "In the preliminary round, we received four base marks, and from there, we tried to reduce the difficulty level for the final. Although I'm happy that we received no base marks, I myself was not satisfied with my current performance, so I am very disappointed in that.”
Duo partner Moe Higa emphasized the significance of their achievement, swimming flawlessly without receiving any base marks, stating, "I think I was able to make the necessary corrections needed since the qualifiers. Although I haven't seen our performance yet, I am very happy that we received no base marks."
Preliminary Team Free
The Team Free event requires each competitor to incorporate four acrobatic moves and seven hybrids into their choreography. With eleven parts contributing to the difficulty score of a routine, the failure to complete one or more components inflicts slightly less damage on the final score compared to most other events, where there are only seven components.
Who to Watch
The first four ranked teams - China, Spain, Japan, and Ukraine - each received one base mark. China's preliminary score was nearly thirty points ahead of the rest of the field. Despite the one base mark, their difficulty and artistic impression scores remained the highest. The following three teams - Spain, Japan, and Ukraine - are closely matched in scores, and the execution of the declared difficulties will be the deciding factor.
WOW
Within the top twelve, Great Britain, who qualified in eighth place for the final round, was the only team that executed flawlessly and received their full declared difficulty.
X-FACTOR
Team Greece expertly utilised the thirty-second limit for deck work at the start of their “Warrior” choreography, captivating the entire audience and pulling them into their story.
Team Chile's "We are the new Humanity" choreography creatively utilized their bodies to form unique patterns during the third lap, incorporating innovative elements into their performance.
Team China's "Gravitation" choreography showcased a remarkable acrobatic move at the beginning, where they formed a bridge with their bodies, allowing one of the athletes to leap gracefully over it.
Team Spain delivered an exceptional artistic impression by masterfully portraying and using their entire bodies to tell the captivating story of "Aladdin" throughout their entire performance.
SCHEDULE & RESULTS
The full results can be found on the World Aquatics Website. The schedule for the Artistic Swimming Championships (local time GMT +9) is as follows:
Friday July 21st
- 10:00 Mixed Duet Free Preliminaries
- 19:30 Mixed Team Free Finals
Saturday July 22nd
- 10:00 Mixed Duet Free Finals