Moldova's Glukhov, Glazunova win standard dance gold at 2025 World Games

CHENGDU, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Alexey Glukhov and Anastasia Glazunova of Moldova claimed the standard dance gold medal at the 2025 World Games here on Saturday.

The pair finished with 196.58 points to top the final at the Chengbei Gymnasium in Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Rares Cojoc and Andreea Matei of Romania took silver with 193.00, while Poland's Dariusz Mycka and Madara Freiberga earned bronze with 188.04.

Making their first World Games appearance, Glukhov, 35, and Glazunova, 34, impressed both judges and spectators with their elegance, musical interpretation and technical precision across five dances - waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep.

"We are making heart signs to the audience to thank them for coming to watch our match," said Glazunova. "We want to share this joyful mood with them in this moment."

China's Tan Ran and Zhou Xinning advanced to the semifinals and finished 10th overall, matching the country's best-ever result in standard dance at the World Games, first achieved by Shen Hong and Liang Yujie at the 2017 edition in Wroclaw, Poland.

"This was one of the most exciting competitions we have ever experienced," said Tan. "Competing at home, with the crowd cheering for us, was a feeling unlike anything we've had before. I was almost in tears after the quickstep."

Zhou added that the energy from the stands gave them extra motivation, and that the event's short format required them to perform at full intensity from the first dance.

China's Xu Ziyin and Yan Xinru placed 18th, while Xie Zi'ang and Shao Yawen ranked 19th, both failing to survive the group stage.

Tan and Zhou also spoke about bringing Chinese characteristics into a style rooted in Western ballroom traditions.

"Chinese dancers have a special delicacy, sensitivity, and musical interpretation that make our performance unique," said Tan.

Glukhov and Glazunova, known for their consistency at major events, have been regular finalists in world and European championships over the past decade, earning a reputation as one of the top standard dance pairs globally.

Standard dance is one of the centerpiece disciplines of the dancesport at The World Games. ■