Kazakhstan’s artistic swimming team has achieved a historic feat by securing the nation’s first-ever gold medal at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships held in Doha, Qatar, Kazakhstan Today reported. The mixed duo, Nargiza Bolatova and Eduard Kim outperformed their competitors in the technical programme, amassing a total of 228.0050 points.
They outshone their competitors, including Cheng Wentao and Shi Haoyu from the People’s Republic of China, who were aiming for their country’s second gold of the day. However, a mistake in the final element of their routine saw Bolatova and Kim confirmed as champions.
Mixed team acrobatic title defence for China
Earlier in the day, China managed to retain the Mixed Team Acrobatic crown at the Aspire Dome, despite strong challenges from Ukraine and the United States of America. The top three teams were separated by a mere 1.9467 points, with the Chinese team just managing to secure the title.
Ukraine and the USA, unlike China, have not yet confirmed their place in the team event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, they demonstrated their qualification potential with strong performances that pushed the defending champions to the limit.
China’s victory
China, who secured their place at Paris 2024 following their success at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, delivered a performance full of energy. Their routine, “Light of Life”, had a degree of difficulty of 23.950 and was executed flawlessly. China won with a score of 244.1767, including 156.7767 for elements and 87.4000 for artistic impression.
Ukraine’s strong performance
Ukraine finished with a total of 243.3167, registering 156.8667 for elements and 86.4500 for artistic impression. Their team included 15-year-old flier Oleksandra Goretska, who performed exceptionally well under pressure.
USA’s Comeback
The USA, led by a 43-year-old legend of artistic swimming, Bill May, rose from sixth after the preliminaries to third. Their routine, “Amazons and Hercules”, had the highest degree of difficulty of 24.600 and they delivered, scoring 242.2300.
Kazakhstan’s unexpected gold
Kazakhstan surprised everyone by winning gold in the Mixed Duet Technical following an outstanding performance from Bolatova and Kim. They nailed their routine to the theme of Tim Burton’s animated musical fantasy Corpse Bride, demonstrating excellent musicality and impressive technical skills, scoring 228.0050, including 133.0550 for elements and 94.9500 for artistic impression.
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