Russia Wins FINA Synchronized Swimming World Cup

YOKOHAMA, Japan, September 17. RUSSIA concluded the 2006 FINA Synchronized Swimming World Cup held in Yokohama, Japan, with a complete sweep of event titles. With the sweep also came a win in the World Cup team standings. Russia finished the meet with a combined total of 395.75. Meanwhile, Spain placed second with 390.20 points, while hosting Japan rounded out the top-three with a 389.80 tally.

Canada (4th/378.25), Italy (5th/372.05), Ukraine (6th/367.70), France (7th/353.65), Switzerland (8th/350.65), Brazil (9th/349.05) and the United States (10th/286.35) comprised the rest of the top 10.

Free Combination – September 14
Russia opened up the competition with an outstanding free combination routine. The contingent of Anastasia Davydova, Anastasia Ermakova, Anna Shorina, Elvira Khassianova, Maria Gromova, Natalia Ishchenko, Svetlana Romashina, Olga Kuzhela, Elena Ovtchinnikova and Anna Nasekina put together a jaw-dropping 99-point effort. Outside of one judge giving the team a 9.7 on technical merit, which dropped out anyway, the Russians earned 9.9s across the board along with a 10 in artistic impression.

In a silver-winning performance, the hometown Japanese squad of Emiko Suzuki, Saho Harada, Ayako Matsumura, Erika Komura, Naoko Kawashima, Erina Suzuki, Hiromi Kobayashi, Masako Tachibana, Takako Konishi and Reiko Fujimori finished with 98 points based on matching 49-point tallies in technical merit and artistic impression. Meanwhile, Spain’s team of Gemma Mengual, Paola Tirados, Andrea Fuentes, Tina Fuentes, Alba Cabello, Raquel Corral, Laura Lopez, Gisela Moron, Irina Rodriguez and Thais Henriquez placed third with 97 points based on 48.40 points from technical merit and 48.60 points from artistic impression.

Solo Routines – September 15
Natalia Ishchenko kept the ball rolling for the Russians with her second gold medal of the meet. In the solo competition, Ishchenko strung together a confident day of scoring to finish with 98.75 points. She recorded the top session of the day with 49.50 points in her free routine while also winning the technical routing title with 49.25 points.

Spain’s Gemma Mengual picked up silver with 97.55 points to finish 1.2 points behind Ishchenko. Mengual posted one of only three 49-point routines behind both of Ishchenko’s performances with a 49-point free routine. Mengual came close to matching that with a 48.55 technical routine to comprise her silver-winning effort.

Japan’s Emiko Suzuki came in third place with 96.85 points based on a 48.50 free routine and a 48.25 technical routine.

Duet Routines – September 16
The Russians were at it again during the day of duets. The Russian Anastasias (Davydova and Ermakova), with Svetlana Romashina sitting in reserve, nearly surpassed the 99-point plateau with a 98.9-point tally. They scored a 49.65 in the free routine, while also posting a 49.25 in the technical routine.

Spain’s threesome of Gemma Mengual, Paola Tirados and Andrea Fuentes placed second with a 98.05. During the free routine, Mengual and Tirados claimed 49.10 points, while Mengual and Fuentes pocketed 48.95 points in the technical routine.

Japan’s twosome of Emiko Suzuki and Saho Harada closed out the podium with a bronze-winning 97.20-point total. The duo registered 48.75 points in the free routine and 48.45 points in the technical routine.

Team Routines – September 17
Russia gave Natalia Ishchenko her third gold of the meet in the team routines on the final day of competition. The Russian team of Anna Shorina, Elviria Khassianova, Maria Gromova, Ischenko, Svetlana Romashina, Olga Kuzhela, Elena Ovtchinnikova, Anna Nasekina, Elizaveta Stepanova and Sofia Volkova nailed Russia’s top day with a 99.10-point gold-winning performance. The completely nailed the free routine with a 49.75, while also accumulating 49.35 points in the technical routine.

Japan’s contingent of Emiko Suzuki, Saho Harada, Ayako Matsumura, Erika Komura, Naoko Kawashima, Hiromi Kobayashi, Takako Konishi, Ai Aoki, Erina Suzuki and Masako Tachibana finished 1.35 points behind the Russians with 97.75 points based on 49.05 points from its free routine and 48.70 points from its technical routine.

Spain’s team of Paola Tirados, Andrea Fuentes, Tina Fuentes, Alba Cabello, Raquel Corral, Laura Lopez, Gisela Moron, Irina Rodriguez, Gemma Mengual and Thais Henriquez came in third with 97.60 points to claim bronze. The squad wound up with 48.90 points from its free routine and 48.70 points from its technical routine.

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