Russian team claims gold in synchronized swimming again
Russia won its sixth straight women’s team technical synchronized swimming title for its fourth gold medal of the world championships yesterday. The team of Maria Shurochkina, Veronika Kalinina, Daria Bayandina, Anastasia Bayandina, Maryna Goliadkina, Darina Valitova, Polina Komar, Vlada Chigireva performed last and maintained the team’s unbeaten record in the event with 96.0109 points.
Chinese swimmers Wang Qianyi, Wang Liuyi, Guo Li, Xiao Yanning, Tang Mengni, Feng Yu, Liang Xinping and Yin Chengxin claimed silver with 94.2165, followed by Japan on 93.1690 for its first medal of the championships.
Chigireva and Shurochkina equaled Daria Korobova’s three gold medals in this event. Only Russian compatriots Aleksandra Patskevich, Alla Shishkina and Angelika Timanina have more with four.
Meanwhile, Chinese duo Chen Aisen and Yang Hao cruised to gold in the men’s synchronised 10m platform at the world aquatics championships in Budapest on Monday.
The duo scored perfect 10s in the six-dive final, earning 498.48 points, well ahead of Russian pair Aleksandr Bondar and Viktor Minibaev on 458.85 points.
The title, China’s fifth diving gold so far in Budapest from seven events, was the 21-yearold Chen’s second world 10m synchro gold. “We are glad to win with this new formation. There were strong pairs, so we should be delighted with this result,” said Chen, who switched partner to Yang, 19, after winning gold in Rio last year with Lin Yue.
The 2013 world champions from Germany, Patrick Hausding and Sascha Klein, who finished second behind the Chinese duo at all four FINA World Series meets this season, came third (440.82). Britons Thomas Daley and Daniel Goodfellow, Olympic bronze medallists in Rio, finished fourth (418.02). —Agencies