Latest news with #ZhangXiaohuan
Times of Oman
4 days ago
- Sport
- Times of Oman
China sweeps team golds in artistic swimming at World Aquatics Championships
SINGAPORE: China won the World Aquatics Championships team acrobatic title in artistic swimming on Friday, concluding its campaign with gold medals in all three team events. Performing a routine titled "Soul of the Terracotta Army", the Chinese squad topped the preliminary round with 225.7993 points and carried that momentum into the final, where they scored 229.0186 points to secure the gold. The team finished ahead of Neutral Athletes B (NAB) and Spain. It marked China's fourth gold medal in artistic swimming, with the country sweeping all three team gold medals in this tournament. "Although we won three gold medals in the team events, I don't think that means we're absolutely dominant," said China's head coach Zhang Xiaohuan. "We're still in the process of exploration. We're also learning from our competitors. There is, in fact, a lot of confusion and anxiety throughout this journey." "Deep down, I have greater expectations in the new Olympic cycle and with the new lineup. I believe this Championships still marked a significant breakthrough for us - the gold medal in the women's solo event was the first in our history, something we had never achieved before," Zhang added. Earlier on Friday, Spain's Iris Tio Casas and Dennis Gonzalez Boneu scored 323.8563 to win the mixed duet free event gold medal, followed by neutral athletes Aleksandr Maltsev and Olesia Platonova, with only 0.4125 points behind. Britain's Isabelle Thorpe and Ranjuo Tomblin took the bronze. "It's the best world championships ever," Tio Casas said. "We are happy that we can finish the season with a happy ending. Probably a lot of people in Spain will see this and we can be an example for little kids." The 22-year-old Spaniard completed golden hat-trick in this tournament. The high diving preliminaries also concluded, with Rhiannan Iffland and Constantin Popovici topping the women's and men's fields respectively. 14 men and 14 women advanced to the final round. ■ Gold medalists Team China pose for photo after the awarding ceremony for the team acrobatic of artistic swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, July 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
China top artistic swimming medal table with four golds at the World Aquatics C'ships
Team China competing in the team acrobatic final at the World Aquatics Championships on July 25, 2025. SINGAPORE – Taking to the pool last at the World Aquatics Championships Arena on July 25, China delivered when it mattered most with a terracotta army-themed performance that clinched the team acrobatic title and consolidated their spot at the top of the medal standings. Heading into the final event of the artistic swimming competition, China, Spain and Russia, whose athletes are competing under neutral status, each had three golds, all with a chance to finish first in the artistic swimming medal table. In the end, it was the Chinese who prevailed, finishing top of the standings for the third time in four editions, with four golds and three silvers. Behind them were Russia's neutral athletes (3-3-2) and Spain (3-2-4). However, it was a far tighter contest than the 2024 world championships in Doha, where they claimed seven golds across 11 events. Later that year, China also swept the duet and team titles at the Paris Olympics, with powerhouses Russia absent. Cheered on by a near-capacity crowd at the 4,800-seat venue, the Chinese scored 229.0186 points. They were followed by the neutral athletes from Russia (224.7291) and Spain (221.0962). China head coach Zhang Xiaohuan said: 'Although the Chinese team won three team gold medals, I don't believe the Chinese team possesses absolute dominance. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Expectations remained high after a strong showing at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final in June, when China swept all team titles and secured seven golds on home soil. An emotional Zhang shared that the team had faced challenges throughout their campaign – three days before they left for Singapore, Zhang Yayi fractured her foot and had to fly in a wheelchair. On July 25, Xu Huiyan, who had won the women's solo technical title earlier in the competition, came down with a high fever but still competed after taking medication. When asked if she was satisfied with the medal haul, Zhang admitted that she had higher expectations but also noted that they were still a work in progress. She said: 'This is the current strongest performance of our team in this new cycle, with this new line-up. I expect us to have an even better performance next time. 'We are also in the process of exploring and we are learning from our opponents. It's not like we're absolutely confident and feel like we're sure to win.' Meanwhile, Russia showed they remain a force on their return to the world meet after missing three editions due to sanctions imposed by World Aquatics in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Aleksandr Maltsev led the charge for the Russians, contributing to all three golds, after winning the men's solo technical and free, as well as the mixed duet technical title with Mayya Gurbanberdieva. Russia's Olesia Platonova said: 'We are very happy to be here. Of course, we see a higher level of athletes, many more members and competitors, especially men's artistic swimming, mixed duet – the level is higher year by year and this championships are a real celebration of that.' Spain capped an impressive campaign with their team acrobatic bronze, just hours after Iris Tio Casas and Dennis Gonzalez Boneu won the mixed duet free title with a score of 323.8563. They finished ahead of neutral athletes Maltsev and Platonova (323.4438) and Britain's Isabelle Thorpe and Ranjuo Tomblin (322.0583). In Singapore, they delivered several historic results, with Tio at the forefront. She claimed Spain's first women's solo title with her win in the solo free and also contributed to the country's first duet titles – both in the women's and mixed duet free – alongside Lilou Lluis Valette and Gonzalez Boneu respectively. Spanish coach Andrea Fuentes (second from left) hugging her artistic swimmers after they completed their performance in the team acrobatic final at the World Aquatics Championships. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO They credited their performance to coach Andrea Fuentes, who returned home after guiding the United States to a team silver at the Paris Olympics. The Spaniard, a former artistic swimmer, had not expected success to come so quickly, but emphasised that her team's goals extended beyond medals. She said: 'Today, I told them in the morning, I don't care if it's gold, bronze, silver or 10th. What I want is when you finish and you say, 'I did my best', and that you make people enjoy, because otherwise you are not useful for society. 'Our job is to create this magic that inspires others – otherwise it's useless, just legs in the water, for what? It's so silly. But if the values that we represent are useful for others and make them feel stronger, then it's useful and it's much better than all the effort.'
The Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Feature: Reaching new heights - China's artistic swimming triumphs at Singapore Worlds
by sportswriters Li Jia, Wang Zijiang and Yue Chenxing SINGAPORE, July 25 (Xinhua) -- With a performance inspired by the Terracotta Warriors, the Chinese artistic swimming team concluded their World Championships campaign in Singapore on Friday, as they secured a gold in the team acrobatic event, bringing their total medal tally to four golds and three silvers in the tournament. China triumphed once again over the Russian squad, competing as Neutral Athletes B (NAB), as the Chinese team scored 229.0186 points for the gold. NAB finished second with 224.7291 points, while Spain took third with 221.0962 points. China also outshone NAB in the team technical event. "When we won the team technical, I was still quite anxious," said China head coach Zhang Xiaohuan. "But in the acrobatic event, their (NAB's) difficulty increased significantly from the preliminary round to the final, which put pressure on me. However, I followed the advice of our research team and focused on doing our best. What mattered most in the final was the quality of our artistic choreography and the overall execution of the routine." For China, who made history by winning both the duet and team events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, their victory at the Singapore Worlds further demonstrated the ongoing rise of Chinese artistic swimming. This triumph marks a new milestone, as the team has now surpassed the long-time powerhouse Russia. This victory solidifies China's place at the top of the sport. "What we've done in this competition, especially winning the team technical event with NAB participating, is a new chapter in the history of Chinese artistic swimming," said China's Spanish coach Ana Tarres. "It's the first time China has ever beaten this strong rival in a competition where they were both present. I think this is a great motivation for the girls. Nothing is impossible through hard work, discipline, commitment, and swimming. This is a step forward." "The team technical gold is just as important as the one we won at the Paris Olympics," said Zhang. "We've always looked forward to a direct showdown with our strongest competitors." Despite dominance at the 2024 Doha Worlds and the Paris Olympics, it wasn't until the Singapore Worlds that China dispelled doubts that they could only win in the absence of Russian competitors. Proving their competitiveness has even been a reason for veteran swimmers to stay on the team, despite already having won world and Olympic titles. "I failed to compete in the team technical, but today I participated in the acrobatic event, and we defeated NAB. We broke through the doubts with our strength," said Paris Olympic champion Zhang Yayi, who injured her foot 15 days ago but still managed to participate in the last event in Singapore. Head coach Zhang Xiaohuan added that the victory would not only motivate veteran swimmers but also inspire younger athletes and encourage everyone in China's artistic swimming. "It will boost the entire sport," she said. "Artistic swimming is developing at an incredible speed. Every competition shows how unpredictable it can be - sometimes third place can jump to first, and sometimes the champion can fall behind. It's hard to say who will win the gold medal. There is no eternal champion," she added. Team captain Feng Yu acknowledged, "We've waited for this chance to compete against a team we've been wanting to measure ourselves against for a very long time. That makes this result special." In the team free event, Feng was called upon to replace Zhang Yayi just nine days before the final. Young talents also shone. Xu Huiyan, 19, secured four gold medals and a silver in her second World Championships. She made history by winning China's first-ever gold in the women's solo technical event with a huge lead. She then followed up with a silver in the solo free final, setting a personal best. Xu also helped the team win three team golds, despite catching a fever on Friday. "I think our young athletes did really well, especially Xu, along with other swimmers who competed in individual events," Zhang said. "I've seen their improvement, but they still need to work harder. They will carry China's flag in the future, and they need to keep improving faster." Guo Muye, 17, competing in his first World Championships, claimed a historic silver in the men's solo free. Twin sisters Lin Yanjun and Lin Yanhan, also debuting at the Worlds, earned a silver in the women's duet technical. "I have higher expectations, but I accept that this is the best our team can do right now with a new lineup in this new cycle," Zhang admitted. "I hope we can do even better next time. But I think we made a big breakthrough in this competition." Looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Russian swimmers will still be China's biggest competitors. "They (NAB) have a solid talent pool in artistic swimming. Many of their athletes are very young, born in 2007 and 2008, yet they perform at a very high level," Zhang said. "This is something we really admire and respect. Their performance still stays at a very high standard, with good synchronization, teamwork and consistency. This brings a lot of challenges for us in the future. We just won this time, but we still have a long way to go." "Compared to them, we need to make some adjustments. Many of our veteran swimmers are dealing with injuries, so we'll have to make some changes going forward," Zhang continued. "Also, I think the choreography of Spain, Italy and France is excellent." "We must always consider ourselves as challengers, never take the champion's position for granted. We still need to keep improving," Zhang concluded.
Straits Times
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
China retain artistic swimming team free title at World Aquatics Championships
Find out what's new on ST website and app. China's artistic swimmers impressing judges and spectators at the World Aquatics Championships' team free final at the WCH Arena on July 20. SINGAPORE – Overcome by emotion at the end of their routine, China's artistic swimming coach Zhang Xiaohuan shed tears of joy as she planted a kiss on the cheek of each and every one of her swimmers. Her team had scored 348.4779 points to retain their title in the team free category at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) Arena on July 20. Japan were second (334.7232), with Spain (321.1328) taking home the bronze. Zhang believes that had she not made three technical changes after the Artistic Swimming World Cup in Xi'an, China in June, they would not have been on the podium. 'Overall I am very happy with our performance and despite having faced some difficulties leading up to this, we managed to pull through,' the 44-year-old said in Mandarin. China's Xu Huiyan, who won the women's solo technical event a day earlier, said: 'Coach had aimed for us to score 350 points, but we were happy nonetheless. 'Last year (at the WCH in Doha), I was merely a spectator and today I am a competitor. It is a huge change, there is pressure, but the goal is just to do my best.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore Both Bukit Panjang LRT disruptions in July linked to newly installed power system: SMRT Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Asia Johor Bahru collision claims lives of e-hailing driver and Singapore passenger Sport Arsenal arrive in Singapore for pre-season matches with AC Milan and Newcastle Business Crypto exchange Tokenize to shut down Singapore operations Singapore More initiatives and support for migrant community announced at Racial Harmony Day event Singapore ComfortDelGro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi China were the last to take to the pool as they had topped the preliminary round a day earlier, with Spain qualifying in second and Japan third. Japan had made five changes to the team of eight who finished fifth out of 10 at the Paris Olympics last August, but produced a captivating performance that exuded poise and elegance. Spain then put on a bold performance, but an error in their eighth hybrid element caused them to drop points. They were awarded a lower score than their preliminary-round result of 329.4288. Japan captain Tomoka Sato said: 'We were third place yesterday, but second today. Doesn't matter what the result was, I'm very satisfied with our performance. 'Before the Olympics, we had so much pressure back home because artistic swimming is a traditional sport and most people thought that maybe we could get a medal. 'After the Olympics, we changed the team and our mindset changed – that made the difference this time.' Japan's Sakurako Uchida in action during the World Aquatics Championships' team free final at the WCH Arena on July 20. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY Despite losing out on silver after their mistake, Spain's Dennis Gonzalez Boneu believes that it was an 'incredible performance from my teammates'. The 21-year-old said: 'We made a little mistake and this was not good for us, but I'm happy because we (still managed to) be inside the podium places with this little mistake. 'All the choreography today was better than yesterday and I enjoyed it a lot. 'With this routine, we wanted to show people that 'crazy is normal in our lives' and this choreography shows that you can be crazy, but you also can be a genius.' The turnout on July 20 was better than previous days, with the 4,800-capacity WCH Arena looking slightly more than half full. While two stands with restricted view were closed, the organisers said that 'close to two thirds of the available ticketed seats were occupied during the team free final'. In the earlier women's solo free preliminary round, China's Xu scored 238.7737 points to top the list of 12 heading into the final on July 22, when the 19-year-old will be eyeing her third gold at this WCH. Belarusian Vasilina Khandoshka, who competes as a neutral athlete, qualified second with 238.2762 points, ahead of Spain's Iris Tio Casas (235.3063). Singapore's Rachel Thean did not qualify for the final after finishing 16th out of 30 with a personal-best 201.2638 points.
Straits Times
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
China aim to dominate in artistic swimming at the World Aquatics Championships
Team China competing in the team acrobatic event during the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup 2025 Super Final in Xi'an. SINGAPORE – For over two decades, Russia's artistic swimmers were the best in the world. From 1998 to 2019, they dominated the discipline, topping the medals table at every edition of the World Aquatics Championships, achieving a clean sweep of golds on three occasions. But then came the Covid-19 pandemic, disrupting the sporting world and unsettling the established order. The 2021 World Aquatics Championships were pushed to 2022 to avoid clashing with the postponed Tokyo Olympics, and by the time competition resumed, the artistic swimming landscape had begun to shift. Normalcy returned to many sports, but not to Russia. In March 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from World Aquatics competitions due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Their absence cracked open the door for Asian nations to surge through, with China rising to the fore. And the top dogs look set to dominate again at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships (WCH). Though China first tasted world title success in 2017, when they claimed the free routine combination gold in Budapest, Chinese head coach Zhang Xiaohuan believes that the 2022 championships were the turning point as they clinched golds in the Olympic events for the first time. 'I really believe it inspired the whole country,' said Zhang, a former world championship medallist, in an interview with Inside Synchro in 2023. 'Finally, Chinese athletes were standing on the top of the podium. And the ones who did, they experienced this feeling, so this will help them to work harder, to fight because they want to get the gold medal again, and to inspire the younger athletes.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Canada, Greece, Italy, and Kazakhstan each took one gold. When the artistic swimming competition kicks off at the WCH Arena on July 18, China, who won historic duet and team golds at the Paris Olympics, are again favourites in the team events after a stellar World Cup campaign. They capped their preparations by dominating the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup 2025 Super Final in Xi'an, sweeping all the team titles and winning seven golds on home soil. Twins Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi, who won the duet and team golds in Paris, are missing from the squad, but China can tap on other talents. One of their brightest prospects is Xu Huiyan, 19, who claimed five gold medals at the Super Final. 'We're currently in a transition period with veteran and new athletes working together,' said Olympic champion Chang Hao to World Aquatics during the Super Final. 'There are still some integration and coordination issues to work through. That's why we need more time to refine our teamwork before we can perform at our best. But honestly, after seven months of intensive closed-door training, we've already shown significant improvement.' Other nations poised to contend for podium places include Spain, now led by coach Andrea Fuentes – a three-time Olympic silver medallist – who returns after leading the United States to a historic team silver at the 2024 Paris Games. The Spaniards have had strong showings at the World Cup in 2025, topping the medal charts at the Paris, Egypt and Canada stops and claiming the team technical title in all three events. Britain's Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe are also strong prospects, having made history with the nation's first Olympic medal in artistic swimming at the Paris Games. They also were the first Britons to win a duet medal at the world championships in 2024, when they clinched a silver and a bronze. Austria's Alexandri triplets – Anna-Maria, Eirini, and Vasiliki – will also be ones to watch. Now coached by Japan's former national team head Nakajima Tatako, they have shown impressive form this season: Anna-Maria and Eirini won the duet technical title at the 2025 European Championships in June, while Vasiliki returned after an 11-month break to take bronze in the solo technical at the World Cup in Markham, Canada.
