By Sheila Dang
PARIS (Reuters) -China claimed its first gold medal in the duet artistic swimming event at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, as the Wang twins did just enough to hold off three other pairs of sisters fighting for the title.
China also won the team artistic swimming event on Wednesday, making it the new dominant force in the sport. Russia has won the most gold medals in artistic swimming but was excluded from Paris in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
Britain and the Netherlands who won their first medals in the sport, with silver and bronze respectively.
Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi began their free routine in dramatic fashion, crawling like panthers to the edge of the water before diving in. As they had done during their technical routine on Friday, the twins commanded the pool, gliding gracefully during their performance and stretching through the space in the water.
The sisters had stood in the gold medal position after Friday’s technical routine, but with a lead of only 9.5 points, meaning their win was not assured.
As they awaited their score, the Wangs sat on the edge of the bench, jumping up and bursting into tears when they saw they had won the gold.
Qianyi said she felt that being twins helped with both the execution and artistic elements of the performance, as her and her sister’s identical body type lends to a uniform look during the routine, while their sibling bond helped them stay in sync.
“We know each other really well. With just a simple look we feel each other’s mood and encourage each other and grow together,” she said.
For the Netherland’s Bregje and Noortje de Brouwer – also twins – it means having each other’s support no matter the outcome of the competition.
“We have the same goal. If we go home, we’re still friends and sisters,” Bregje said.
“I know I can’t make her upset,” Noortje joked.
With their bronze, Britain’s Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe said they hoped more young people back home would feel encouraged to try artistic swimming.
The pair performed a routine with the theme of “rising phoenix” intended to reflect a new era for artistic swimming – with its new scoring system introduced at the Paris Games.
The dramatic music selection featured a bird call as the team opened their performance with two backflips into the water. The swimmers and their coach cried and hugged when their score showed that they were assured of a medal.
(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Paris; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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