Feature: Reaching new heights - China's artistic swimming triumphs at Singapore Worlds

China capped the artistic swimming events at the World Championships with 4 golds and 3 silvers, underscoring its rise to the top of the sport.

by sportswriters Li Jia, Wang Zijiang and Yue Chenxing

SINGAPORE, July 26 (Xinhua) -- With a performance inspired by the Terracotta Warriors, the Chinese artistic swimming team concluded their World Championships campaign in Singapore on Friday, as they secured a gold in the team acrobatic event, bringing their total medal tally to four golds and three silvers in the tournament.

China triumphed once again over the Russian squad, competing as Neutral Athletes B (NAB), as the Chinese team scored 229.0186 points for the gold. NAB finished second with 224.7291 points, while Spain took third with 221.0962 points. China also outshone NAB in the team technical event.

"When we won the team technical, I was still quite anxious," said China head coach Zhang Xiaohuan. "But in the acrobatic event, their (NAB's) difficulty increased significantly from the preliminary round to the final, which put pressure on me. However, I followed the advice of our research team and focused on doing our best. What mattered most in the final was the quality of our artistic choreography and the overall execution of the routine."

For China, who made history by winning both the duet and team events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, their victory at the Singapore Worlds further demonstrated the ongoing rise of Chinese artistic swimming. This triumph marks a new milestone, as the team has now surpassed the long-time powerhouse Russia. This victory solidifies China's place at the top of the sport.

"What we've done in this competition, especially winning the team technical event with NAB participating, is a new chapter in the history of Chinese artistic swimming," said China's Spanish coach Ana Tarres. "It's the first time China has ever beaten this strong rival in a competition where they were both present. I think this is a great motivation for the girls. Nothing is impossible through hard work, discipline, commitment, and swimming. This is a step forward."

"The team technical gold is just as important as the one we won at the Paris Olympics," said Zhang. "We've always looked forward to a direct showdown with our strongest competitors."

Despite dominance at the 2024 Doha Worlds and the Paris Olympics, it wasn't until the Singapore Worlds that China dispelled doubts that they could only win in the absence of Russian competitors.

Proving their competitiveness has even been a reason for veteran swimmers to stay on the team, despite already having won world and Olympic titles.

"I failed to compete in the team technical, but today I participated in the acrobatic event, and we defeated NAB. We broke through the doubts with our strength," said Paris Olympic champion Zhang Yayi, who injured her foot 15 days ago but still managed to participate in the last event in Singapore.

Head coach Zhang Xiaohuan added that the victory would not only motivate veteran swimmers but also inspire younger athletes and encourage everyone in China's artistic swimming.

"It will boost the entire sport," she said. "Artistic swimming is developing at an incredible speed. Every competition shows how unpredictable it can be - sometimes third place can jump to first, and sometimes the champion can fall behind. It's hard to say who will win the gold medal. There is no eternal champion," she added.

Team captain Feng Yu acknowledged, "We've waited for this chance to compete against a team we've been wanting to measure ourselves against for a very long time. That makes this result special."

In the team free event, Feng was called upon to replace Zhang Yayi just nine days before the final.

Young talents also shone. Xu Huiyan, 19, secured four gold medals and a silver in her second World Championships. She made history by winning China's first-ever gold in the women's solo technical event with a huge lead. She then followed up with a silver in the solo free final, setting a personal best. Xu also helped the team win three team golds, despite catching a fever on Friday.

"I think our young athletes did really well, especially Xu, along with other swimmers who competed in individual events," Zhang said. "I've seen their improvement, but they still need to work harder. They will carry China's flag in the future, and they need to keep improving faster."

Guo Muye, 17, competing in his first World Championships, claimed a historic silver in the men's solo free. Twin sisters Lin Yanjun and Lin Yanhan, also debuting at the Worlds, earned a silver in the women's duet technical.

"I have higher expectations, but I accept that this is the best our team can do right now with a new lineup in this new cycle," Zhang admitted. "I hope we can do even better next time. But I think we made a big breakthrough in this competition."

Looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Russian swimmers will still be China's biggest competitors.

"They (NAB) have a solid talent pool in artistic swimming. Many of their athletes are very young, born in 2007 and 2008, yet they perform at a very high level," Zhang said. "This is something we really admire and respect. Their performance still stays at a very high standard, with good synchronization, teamwork and consistency. This brings a lot of challenges for us in the future. We just won this time, but we still have a long way to go."

"Compared to them, we need to make some adjustments. Many of our veteran swimmers are dealing with injuries, so we'll have to make some changes going forward," Zhang continued. "Also, I think the choreography of Spain, Italy and France is excellent."

"We must always consider ourselves as challengers, never take the champion's position for granted. We still need to keep improving," Zhang concluded. ■