World Aquatics Championships: Spectators, athletes impressed by design, scale of new temporary arena
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Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Greek masterclass sees off Hungary 12-9 to clinch women's water polo title at World Aquatics C'ships
SINGAPORE – Spurred on by a section of loud supporters at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on July 23, Greece put on a masterclass to defeat Hungary 12-9 in the women's water polo final of the World Aquatics Championships (WCH). The win gave the Greeks their second world championship title, having won it for the first time in China in 2011. The two sides had met in the Women's Water Polo World Cup final in April, where Greece were also victorious in China, winning 13-9. The teams also faced each other in the group stage here in Singapore and Hungary had edged out their rivals 10-9 on July 11. In the final on July 23, Greece opened the scoring through tournament top scorer Foteini Tricha (25 goals including a hat-trick in the final) and despite Natasa Rybanska's equaliser, goals from Eleni Xenaki and captain Eleftheria Plevritou helped the Greek to finish the first quarter 3-1 up. It was all Greece in the second period as Xenaki completed her hat-trick, with the Hungarians struggling to find the net after several saves from Greek custodian Ioanna Stamatopoulou, as the teams headed into the half at 8-4. Despite a late Hungarian comeback in the third (2-2) and fourth (3-2) periods, Greece managed to see out the match 12-9. In the earlier bronze-medal match, world No. 1 Spain survived a late scare to pip third-ranked United States 13-12. Inspired by Emma Lineback, who scored a game-high five goals, eight-time world champions US clawed back a 7-4 first-half deficit but ran out of time against the Olympic champions. Spain's captain Anni Espar said that her team were nervous throughout their bronze-medal match against the United States. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY Said Spain captain Anni Espar: 'I think (we were) nervous the whole game, America played a great game, but we were able to perform really well and we're able to control the game even when things weren't working as well as the beginning. 'I think maybe at the end we needed to be a little bit more on top of the left-hander (Lineback) that was scoring a lot of goals, so I think that's something we can improve for next time.' When asked about the disappointment of finishing fourth, both in Singapore and at the Paris Olympics in 2024 – the Americans had won the 2024 world championships in Doha – US coach Adam Krikorian said: 'We did a great job here, to be honest. 'What we were able to accomplish over a long period of time... it was a lot of hard work and lessons learnt, and that processes are going to be really important for this young group. 'We have so many young players that are experiencing this for the first time, and have a long way to grow. 'Clearly, we're not at the level of the best teams in the world right now, but at least we know much better now, after this summer, kind of where we stand and what we need to work on.' Meanwhile, in the seventh-place play-off, Italy beat Japan 20-15, while world No. 2 Netherlands defeated Olympic silver medallists Australia 13-11 to finish fifth.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
World Aquatics Championships: Singapore's women's free duet narrowly miss out on spot in the final
Singapore's women's free duet narrowly missed out on making the final at the World Aquatics Championships. The artistic swimming duo of Debbie Soh and Yvette Chong finished in 14th place out of 36 teams, missing the cut of top 12 spots by a mere eight points. They registered a personal best along the way. Nadine Yeam has more.
Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Straits Times
From the circus to 27-metre platform, high divers find their kicks in the sport
High diver Gary Hunt, who will be competing at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, was once an amusement park entertainer. SINGAPORE – In the sport of high diving where adrenaline junkies leap off eight-storey platforms while executing flips and spins, it is no surprise that some of its athletes hail from entertainment backgrounds. Take British-born Frenchman Gary Hunt for example, a two-time world champion in the sport, who played a Tarzan-like character at the Walygator Grand-Est – an amusement park in France – for several years before becoming a high diver. To relax before a competition, Hunt is often seen juggling balls to 'slow his mind'. 'You're not really thinking what you are doing. It can almost feel like your brain is not controlling your hands,' he told The Guardian in 2023. High diving is an extreme aquatics discipline in which athletes jump from platforms of 27 metres for the men and 20 metres for the women and execute acrobatic stunts during the dive. Athletes can reach speeds of up to 85kmh before hitting the water, Unlike standard diving, high diving does not use springboards or platforms – of 3m and 10m – commonly seen in Olympic events. Instead, athletes dive from static platforms, often built over natural bodies of water or temporary structures. Judges score each dive based on difficulty, execution, and water entry. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Singapore's digital banks finding their niche in areas like SMEs as they narrow losses in 2024 World Trump says US will charge 19% tariff on goods from Philippines, down from 20% Singapore Two found dead after fire in Toa Payoh flat Singapore 2 foreigners arrested for shop theft at Changi Airport Opinion Most companies onboard wrong – here's how to get it right Sport AC Milan's Rafael Leao gives Singapore fan an unforgettable birthday Life Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath's bat-biting frontman turned reality TV star, dies aged 76 Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving Hunt is in Singapore for the World Aquatics Championships (WCH), where he will be competing alongside 22 other male participants and 16 female divers in Sentosa from July 24 to 27. Four-time women's world champion Rhiannan Iffland, who previously worked as an acrobatic trampoline and diving entertainer on cruise ships, will also be in town. When asked about the transition from performer to diver, the Australian told The Straits Times in a Zoom interview: 'A lot of people come from performing shows, a lot of people come from an elite diving background, some come from gymnastics… So it's a real mixed bag. But I definitely think it helps to have been a performer. 'I know in the beginning of my career, it felt like you're putting on a show. If you make the transition from show diving or entertainment diving to competition, it kind of feels similar. 'And when you do shows, I feel like you play around a lot more, and you test your skills, and you really develop a lot of different skills. And one of those things is doing the dives and performing the dives somewhat under pressure, because in a show, people are watching you, and in a competition, also people are watching you.' Iffland will be on the hunt for a record fifth consecutive world championship gold when she takes to the platform at the Palawan Green. Joining her is another former performer Kaylea Arnett, who worked at the Cirque du Soleil. She was also part of the House of Dancing Water, a watershow performance in Macau, where the cast included high divers Carlos Gimeno, two-time world championship medallist Catalin-Petru Preda and Meili Carpenter – the trio are also competing in Singapore. When competitive diving gets stressful for Arnett, performing 'keeps things fun' for the American. 'It reminds me not to take it too seriously, because there was a time back in the day that competing took the fun out of diving for me. It was too much pressure. I wasn't getting the results that I wanted, and it just became not fun anymore,' she said in an interview with Native News Online in 2024. 'So, I found a way. Doing shows made diving really fun for me again because there was no pressure, and I learned all these new skills. I've learned how to take that with me into this new competition world.'
