China dominant at World Aquatic Artistic Swimming WC Super Final

XI'AN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China showcased commanding form at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final here on Saturday, sweeping gold in the men's solo free, women's duet free and team free events. Spain prevented a complete Chinese triumph by claiming victory in the mixed duet technical - the sole discipline to elude the home team's grasp.

China executed a phenomenal free show to the theme of "Gravitation", earning 324.3538 points to win the gold. Japan took silver in 310.0788, while Spain came third in 308.4859.

China's head coach Zhang Xiaohuan cried with joy after her team's victory. "This gold medal lifts a huge weight off our shoulders," she admitted. "Chang Hao was injured during training and she showed incredible grit to compete through injury, and while our new routine still needs refinement, the team's courage under pressure was extraordinary."

"The team executed the routine with remarkable composure, just like in our daily training sessions. Today we delivered it steady and clean," said Chang. "My neck rotation is still slightly [limited], so I'll need treatment tonight. For tomorrow, our focus is hitting every lift perfectly."

Twin sisters Lin Yanjun and Lin Yanhan won the duet free in 266.1442 points with powerful movements. Spain's duo Lilou Lluis and Iris Tio came second with 260.9325, while the bronze went to newly paired Japanese duo Uta Kobayashi and Tomoka Sato.

"We lost to Spain last time, but we performed very well today, though we still have lots of details to improve," said Lin Yanhan.

Despite the victory, Zhang remained cautious on China's prospects at the upcoming World Championships and 2028 Olympic Games. "Strong contenders like Austria, the Netherlands and Great Britain all have world-class duet pairs," Zhang noted. "And we can never underestimate Russia."

China's 17-year-old Guo Muye took a gold and silver medal on Saturday, first clinching the men's solo free title before teaming with Guo Sitong to secure mixed duet technical silver.

Spain's Dennis Gonzalez and Mireia Hernandez won the mixed duet technical with 219.7700, over six points higher than China's second-placed duo. Great Britain took the bronze.

"These World Cup competitions are crucial for us - they're making us sharper for the World Championships. After feeling strong at last week's European Championships, we're aiming to replicate that form here," said Gonzalez, men's solo free world champion at the 2023 World Championships. Spain had dominated last week's European Championships with five gold medals.

"The Chinese duo are very young and talented," commented Hernandez. "We will have good competition at the World Championships."

The World Cup Super Final concludes on Sunday with the women's solo free, mixed duet free and team aerobatics competitions. ■