ATHENS, Greece, August 29. RUSSIA, with a score of 99.501, successfully defended its Synchronized Swimming Team Olympic title Friday night with a spectacular display that not even a music failure at the Olympic Synchronzed Swimming Pool could spoil, as reported by competition organizers in Athens.
17.5 seconds into their routine, the music for the nine-member Russian team, which included their gold medal duet of Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova, stopped. Fortunately for the champions, the team was allowed a new start and performed a routine that featured brilliant high lifts and throws including a clean somersault and almost perfect synchronization, which earned them ten from all five judges for Artistic Impression, just as their duet winners had received.
Japan, the Sydney 2000 silver medallists, was a point behind with 98.501 after their explosive high lifts and quick changes of pattern through out the routine were delivered with an energy that symbolized Japan’s approach to this competition.
USA won the bronze medal with a score of 97.418, despite a late challenge from Spain, who scored 96.751, Canada who scored 95.251 and China with 94.584.
USA's team began with a flying leap and put together a display that had lots of sequences that created a fluid team routine, however the swimmers from Spain won the audience's support, in their Salvadore Dali costumes with a performance representative of Dali's famous clock painting.
Helena Azarova (RUS) spoke about the music snafu and support from the crowd: "It brought us down a little bit and we panicked, but in the course of things it gave us the strength to perform so well. The spectators also helped us a lot psychologically."
Teammate Olga Bruskikina (RUS) noted their concentration level prevented any problem from the musical glich: “Probably what happened with the music even helped us. We athletes, we can't stop whatever happens. We continued our programme until the judges gave us a signal. Of course it was a shock for us but we started from the beginning again and it was not bad for us since, we were already warmed up."
Final Results
Synchronized Swimming Pool – FRI 27 AUG 2004 – Start Time: 19:30
Rank NOC Name Technical Routine Free Routine Total Points Points Behind
1 RUS
AZAROVA Elena
BRUSNIKINA Olga
DAVYDOVA Anastasia
ERMAKOVA Anastasia
GROMOVA Maria
KHASYANOVA Elvira
KISELEVA Maria
NOVOKSHCHENOVA Olga
SHORINA Anna
TF
TF
TF
TF
TR
RF
TF
TF
TF 49.667 49.834 99.501
2 JPN
FUJIMARU Michiyo
HARADA Saho
KAWASHIMA Naoko
KITAO Kanako
SUZUKI Emiko
TACHIBANA Miya
TAKEDA Miho
TATSUMI Juri
YONEDA Yoko
TF
TF
TR
RF
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF 49.167 49.334 98.501 1.000
3 USA
BARTOSIK Alison
CROW Tamara
DOBRATZ Erin
JASONTEK Rebecca
KOZLOVA Anna
LOWE Sara
McFALL Lauren
NESBITT Stephanie
ZANOTTO Kendra
TF
RF
TR
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF 48.584 48.834 97.418 2.083
4 ESP
CORRAL Raquel
FUENTES Andrea
FUENTES Tina
MENGUAL Gemma
MONTERO Ana
RODRIGUEZ Irina
SANZ Alicia
SERRANO Ione
TIRADOS Paola
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF
RR
TF
TF 48.167 48.584 96.751 2.750
5 CAN
CARGILL Nicole
CHAN Erin
CHASE Jessica
DUBUC Jessika
GAGNE Marie-Pierre
LETOURNEAU Fanny
NACKONEY Shayna
RENIERE-LAFRENIERE Anouk
STEWART Courtenay
RR
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF 47.584 47.667 95.251 4.250
6 CHN
CHEN Yu
GU Beibei
HE Xiaochu
HOU Yingli
HU Ni
LI Zhen
WANG Na
WU Man
ZHANG Xiaohuan
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF
TF
RR
TF 47.084 47.500 94.584 4.917
7 ITA
CIRULLI Monica
FIORENTINI Costanza
PACCAGNELLA Joey
PLAISANT Elisa
SAVOIA Sara
SPAZIANI Beatrice
STEFANELLI Federica
ZAFFALON Lorena
ZANAZZA Laura
TF
TF
TF
TF
TR
TF
RF
TF
TF 46.834 47.250 94.084 5.417
8 GRE
ANASTASIOU Aglaia
CHRISTODOULOU Maria
FTOULI Eleftheria
GEORGIOU Eleni
GOUDA Effrosyni
IOANNOU Apostolia
KOUTSOUDI Evgenia
PELEKANOU Olga
THALASSINIDOU Christina
TF
TF
TF
TR
TF
TF
TF
TF
RF 46.250 46.500 92.750 6.751
Legend
RF-Reserve in Technical,Swam Free RR-Reserve in Technical,Free TF-Swam in Technical,Free
TR-Swam in Technical,Reserve in Free DNS-Did Not Start DSQ-Disqualified
FINA-Fédération internationale de natation
Note:
Approved by the referee.