Four countries – China, Italy, Japan and Ukraine – shared the gold in the inaugural leg of the FINA Synchronised Swimming World Series, held in Paris (FRA), from March 10-12, 2017. Nine events were contested in the French capital, and Japan got a short advantage with three wins, while Ukrainian, Chinese and Italian swimmers all got two victories each.
In the solo events, the athlete to watch in Paris was Anna Voloshyna (UKR), who triumphed in both the technical and free finals. The two events had the same competitors on the podium, with Japan’s Yukiko Inui getting the silver and Canada’s Jacqueline Simoneau earning the bronze medal.
China ruled in the duet competition, with the pair Jiang Wen Wen/Jiang Ting Ting getting the gold in the technical and free finals. Japan (silver) and Ukraine (bronze) got the minor medals in both finals.
In the mixed competition, Italy, led by Giorgio Minisini and Manila Flamini controlled operations and collected the gold in the technical and free routines. In both events, they were followed by Japan and Germany.
In the team and free combination events, Japan was the strongest nation of the field, collecting three gold medals. In both the technical and free routines of the team event, they were better than Ukraine (silver) and China (bronze). In the free combination, China ensured the second position, while France, for the joy of the hundreds of spectators in the stands, got its only medal of the competition – bronze.
The second leg of the 2017 FINA Synchronised Swimming World Series will take place in Taiyuan, China, on April 22-24.
Medallists in Paris:
Solo Technical: 1. Anna Voloshyna (UKR), 91.1267; 2. Yukiko Inui (JPN), 90.4774; 3. Jacqueline Simoneau (CAN), 88.8201
Solo Free: 1. Anna Voloshyna (UKR), 92.7000; 2. Yukiko Inui (JPN), 91.5000; 3. Jacqueline Simoneau (CAN), 89.1000
Duet Technical: 1. Jiang Wen Wen/Jiang Ting Ting (CHN), 91.4818; 2. Yukiko Inui/Mai Nakamura (JPN), 90.1401; 3. Anna Voloshyna/Yelyzaveta Yakhno (UKR), 89.4580
Duet Technical Mixed: 1. Giorgio Minisini/Manila Flamini (ITA), 85.5242; 2. Atsushi Abe/Yumi Adachi (JPN), 81.7679; 3. Amelie Ebert/Niklas Stoepel (GER), 68.6875
Duet Free: 1. Jiang Wen Wen/Jiang Ting Ting (CHN), 92.7333; 2. Yukiko Inui/Kanami Nakamaki (JPN), 91.7667; 3. Anna Voloshyna/Yelyzaveta Yakhno (UKR), 90.1000
Duet Free Mixed: 1. Giorgio Minisini/Manila Flamini (ITA), 86.3000; 2. Atsushi Abe/Yumi Adachi (JPN), 84.6667; 3. Amelie Ebert/Niklas Stoepel (GER), 70.3667
Team Technical: 1. Japan, 91.9006; 2. Ukraine, 89.4177; 3. China, 86.7723
Team Free: 1. Japan, 92.0667; 2. Ukraine, 91.4333; 3. China, 84.6667
Free Combination: 1. Japan, 91.8000; 2. China, 86.3000; 3. France, 84.2333
Calendar of the 2017 FINA Synchronised Swimming World Series:
1. Paris (FRA) – March 10-12
2. Taiyuan (CHN) – April 22-24
3. Tokyo (JPN) – April 28-30
4. Toronto (CAN) – May 2-7
5. Las Palmas (ESP) – May 25-28
6. Long Island (USA) – June 22-24
7. Tashkent (UZB) – September 21-24
News Courtesy of FINA.