Warrior spirit sees off Russian challenge

With a performance inspired by the Terracotta Warriors, the Chinese artistic swimming team concluded the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Friday by securing gold in the team acrobatic event, bringing its total medal tally at the tournament to four golds and three silvers.

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

"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, which made history by winning both the duet and team events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the victory at the Singapore worlds further demonstrated the ongoing rise of Chinese artistic swimming. This triumph, with maiden victories over a Russian contingent, marks a new milestone for Team China and solidifies its 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 and commitment. This is a step forward."