Chinese artistic swimmers made a remarkable start at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup’s first leg in Beijing on Friday, clinching three gold medals and one silver on the opening day.
Xu Huiyan led the charge by triumphing in the women’s solo technical event with an impressive score of 244.9183 points. She outperformed neutral international athlete Vasilina Khandoshka and Aruba’s Kyra Hoevertsz, who took silver and bronze respectively.
Reflecting on her performance, Xu said, “In 2024, I have gained much experience at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha and the Artistic Swimming World Cup this time, which helped me grow up and get mature. I still need to improve myself and adjust to the new changes to the rules.” The 18-year-old had previously secured a bronze medal at the World Championships in Doha.
China’s dominance continued as Xu and her teammates secured the team technical title, finishing 21.1569 points ahead of Australia, with Kazakhstan rounding out the podium.
In the mixed duet technical event, young talents Ji Heyue and Guo Muye added another gold to China’s tally. They were followed by teams from Kazakhstan and Spain. Guo, only 15 years old, expressed his joy, saying, “There was a sense of happiness and achievement when I stood on the podium. All our efforts were paid off at that moment.” He later earned a silver medal in the men’s solo technical event, following Spain’s Jordi Caceres Iglesias and ahead of Italy’s Filippo Pelati.
The competition has drawn around 100 elite artistic swimmers from 14 teams worldwide. Over the three-day event, athletes will compete in various categories, including the women’s and men’s solo free, women’s duet technical, and team free events scheduled for Saturday.
The World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup serves as a crucial platform for swimmers to gain experience and showcase their skills ahead of upcoming international competitions.
Reference(s):
China win 3 golds, 1 silver on Artistic Swimming World Cup 1st day
cgtn.com
