China makes a splash in Doha, as Quan claims gold

Spain's Alisa Ozhogina Ozhogin and Iris Tio Casa grabbed bronze at 258.0333, repeating their finish from 2023.

The Wangs were back on top in the duet technical, after a disappointing fourth-place showing at Fukuoka. They had previously won the event at the 2022 worlds in Budapest.

The siblings have combined for eight gold medals over their world championship careers, including two in Doha. They were part of the winning group in the team acrobatic event on Sunday.

Accompanied by traditional Chinese music, the twins showcased a performance themed "Lotus," blending softness with strength, to earn a remarkable score.

"We want to incorporate Chinese elements, which is quite different from the styles of most teams. We are delighted that our performance has been recognized," said Qianyi, the younger sister.

The twins' lack of exuberance while awaiting the judges' scores left the audience wondering whether there had been some unforeseen mistakes during their performance.

"We are well aware of our performance and are satisfied with it. The reason you might not see us overly excited is because we are already composed for the result," explained Qianyi.

Throughout this Olympic cycle, the 27-year-old sisters have juggled both duet and team events. They are set to participate in the duet free and team technical events in Doha.

However, with the Paris Olympics on the horizon, the twins are eyeing their primary goal.

"Every athlete hopes their efforts will result in the best rewards. We aspire to stand on top of the podium and realize our dreams," said Liuyi.

Italy's Linda Cerruti and Lucrezia Ruggiero, who captured the silver in Fukuoka, initially finished ninth, but were bumped up to sixth with a revised score after a successful protest. The reigning world champions from Japan did not compete.

The 16-year-old Yang earned gold with the final swim of the men's event, totaling 246.4766 points. He edged Italy's Giorgio Minisini (245.3166), with the bronze going to Colombia's Gustavo Sanchez (231.0000).

Artistic swimming is split into 11 medal events at the world championships. There are only two events on the Olympic program, duet and team.

Men have competed in artistic swimming at the world championships since 2015, when the sport was still known as synchronized swimming. Paris 2024 will be the first time they are eligible to compete at the Olympics.

Xinhua