Courtesy: LEN Media
The second day of the LEN Artistic Swimming Champions Cup saw a power demonstration from the host Russians as they clinched all three titles and added a bronze since both of their duets made the podium.
Medalists, Day 2
Duet technical
1. Svetlana Romashina, Svetlana Kolesnichenko (RUS) 95.3768, 2. Marta Fiedina, Anastasiya Savchuk (UKR) 91.6143, 3. Varvara Kreopalova, Alena Matvienko (RUS) 87.7761
Mixed duet technical
1. Kristina Averina, Mikhail Vasilev (RUS) 84.4862, 2. Emma Garcia, Pau Ribes (ESP) 82.4583
Free Combination
1. Russia 91.1667, 2. Italy 86.2333, 3. Israel 84.0667
It was Russia all the way on the second day in St. Petersburg, much to the delight of the home crowd which filled the stands in both sessions. First they could celebrate a double, as both Russian duets made the podium in the technical routine.
Svetlana Romashina and Svetlana Kolesnichenko were a cut above the rest once more, received a handful of 9.6s and 9.7s from the judges (even a 9.8) to gain 3.7 points on the runner-up Ukrainians Marta Fiedina and Anastasiya Savchuk. This result also counts in the race for the Olympic berth here so the two Svetlanas are set to book their spot in Tokyo in the duet free final on Sunday. The younger Russian duet of Varvara Kreopalova and Alena Matvienko claimed the bronze, edging out the Spaniards by 0.9 points.
The depth of Russian synchro was also demonstrated in the mixed duet technical final. Though the hosts’ top duet featuring world champion Alexandr Maltsev opted to train during these weeks, the young pair of Kristina Averina and Mikhail Vasilev managed to outscore Spain’s experienced pair of Emma Garcia and Pau Ribes. (Italy’s world champion Giorgio Minisini is sidelined with injury so only two duets entered this competition.)
The sold-out evening session completed Russia’s golden sweep as their young team managed to pull off another 90+ pointer to win the free combination. Italy claimed its first medal, a silver, with an inspired performance, ahead of Israel which also got to the podium for the first time here.
For detailed results and live streaming visit www.len.eu.
