Russia rarely competes in the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series, but with the third leg in Kazan, it was obligatory. And the hosts showed that they will be contenders for every honor available at this year’s World Championships and beyond.
Rio gold medalist Svetlana Kolesnichenko won the Solo Technical by more than seven points on Friday and then teamed with Svetlana Romashina, the famed 2012-16 Olympic Dut gold medalist and Duet Technical & Free World Champion in 2009-11-13-15 with Natalia Ischchenko, to dominate the Duet events.
Kolesnichenko and Romashina won the Duet Technical event over 2016-18 European bronze medalists Linda Cerutti and Costanza Ferro by more than six points and the Duet Free by more than five. They plan to compete together through the Tokyo 2020 Games, in which they are now the favorites.
“My comeback is highlighted by gold, and I am very happy about it,” said Romashina. “I think it is great to have happened in Kazan, Russia, as my mother had a chance to be present and watch it with her own eyes. I was not that nervous anticipating the start – no more than usually. The swim was quite OK. Are we satisfied with the swim? Yes, we are, if our coach is.”
Cerruti won the Solo Free event, in which Kolesnichenko did not compete, and Russian teams won the Technical and Free events. The Russian Mixed Duet pair of Mayya Gurbanberdieva and Aleksandr Maltsev easily won both the Mixed Duet Technical and Mixed Duet Free. Summaries:
FINA Artistic Swimming World Series
Kazan (RUS) ~ 19-21 April 2019
(Full results here)
Solo Technical: 1. Svetlana Kolesnichenko (RUS), 92.8144; 2. Vasiliki Alexandri (AUT), 85.1902; 3. Alisa Ozhogina Ozhogin (ESP), 83.7338.
Solo Free: Linda Cerruti (ITA), 90.4000; 2. Alina Mantulenko (RUS), 87.0333; 3. Vasilina Khandoshka (BLR), 86.0667.
Duet Technical: 1. Svetlana Kolesnichenko/Svetlana Romashina (RUS), 96.1481; 2. Linda Cerruti/Costanza Ferro (ITA), 89.8612; 3. Anna-Maria Alexandri/Eirini Alexsandri (AUT), 87.7417.
Duet Free: 1. Kolesnichenko/Romashina (RUS), 97.1000; 2. Cerruti/Ferro (ITA), 91.8667; 3. Mireia Hernandez/Irene Jimeno (ESP), 87.4000.
Team Technical: 1. Russia, 95.3411; 2. Belarus, 83.4736; 3. Hungary, 78.4414.
Team Free: 1. Russia, 97.9000; 2. Spain, 87.9000; 3. Belarus, 82.6333.
Team Highlights: 1. Russia, 85.4667; 2. Kazakhstan, 80.7000; 3. Hungary, 79.7333.
Team Free Combination: 1. Russia, 92.5333; 2. Belarus, 81.8000; 3. Hungary, 79.2667.
Mixed Duet Technical: 1. Mayya Gurbanberdieva/Aleksandr Maltsev (RUS), 89.8181; 2. Haoyu Shi/Yayi Zhang (CHN), 82.9349; 3. Fernando Diaz Del Rio/Beatriz Castano (ESP), 74.3859.
Mixed Duet Free: 1. Gurbanberdieva/Maltsev (RUS), 91.4000; 2. Wentao Cheng/Haoyu Shi (CHN), 84.4333; 3. Diaz Del Rio/Castano (ESP), 77.3667.
