Artistic Swimming | Team Technical

While three different nations have won this event over the past three World Aquatics Championships expect Artistic Swimming powerhouse China to be the team to beat when the Team Technical event gets underway early this afternoon.

Teams to Watch:

People’s Republic of China (CHN):  Already world champions in the Team Acrobatic, the People’s Republic of China owned the preliminaries with a staggering 300-plus pointscore. If they stay basemark-free, it will be near impossible to prevent a third Chinese gold medal in Artistic Swimming here in Doha. However their Fukuoka experience last year will surely be fresh in many of the team’s minds given that in Fukuoka they scored a near-identical 304.3992 in the preliminaries but were then riddled with basemarks in the final to finish in seventh.

Japan (JPN):  By the end of the Technical events at Fukuoka 2023, home nation Japan already had three gold medals on the board. Here in Doha they are still yet to open their campaign with a medal of any colour. Interestingly the Team Technical was the only team event Japan didn’t medal in last year, however, based on their preliminaries routine here in Doha they are the most likely team to take it up to the People’s Republic of China. 

Previous Championships:

2023:  Gold – Spain (ESP), Silver – Italy (ITA), Bronze – United States of America (USA)

2022:  Gold – China (CHN), Silver – Japan (JPN), Bronze – Italy (ITA)

Diving | Women 10m Synchronized

We might only be halfway through the diving program however Doha 2024 has already produced a larger number of nations winning gold than Gwangju 2019, Budapest 2022 and Fukuoka 2023 combined. That said, it’s near-impossible to look past the Chinese pair in this evening’s final after their one-two finish in the Women’s 10m Platform last night.

Athletes to Watch:

Chen Yuxi & Quan Hongchan (CHN):  You have to go back 26 years to the inaugural Women’s 10m Synchronized event at Perth 1998 to find a gold medal-winning pair that is not from the People’s Republic of China. Put simply, the Chinese have been unbeatable in this event winning twelve consecutive world titles. The pairing of Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan have won the past two of them, and given their individual scores in the Women’s 10m platform yesterday, they should be almost unstoppable in this evening’s final.

Pandelela Pamg & Nur Dhabitah Sabri (MAS):  A five-time medallist in this event dating back to Rome 2009, Malaysia’s Pandelela Pamg once again pairs with fellow Budapest 2022 bronze medallist Nur Dhabitah Sabri as they chase Doha gold. Pamg is an icon of Malaysian sport. A seven-time World Aquatics Championships medallist and two-time Olympic medallist, Pamg is a ‘Dato’ back home (one of Malaysia’s most significant honorary titles) and even has an aquatic centre named after her. The one thing however that has eluded the Malaysian diver over a storied 17-year international career is a world championship. Will that wait end this afternoon – or Chinese team’s stranglehold on the Women’s 10m Synchronized event continue for thirteen successive championships?

Previous Championships:

2023:  Gold – Chen Yuxi & Quan Hongchan (CHN), Silver – Andrea Spendolini Siriex & Lois Toulson (GBR), Bronze – Jessica Parratto & Delaney Schnell (USA)

2022:  Gold – Chen Yuxi & Quan Hongchan (CHN), Silver – Delaney Schnell & Katrina Young (USA), Bronze – Pandelela Pamg & Nur Dhabitah Sabri (MAS)

Artistic Swimming | Women Solo Free

At the past eight World Aquatics Championships, the Solo Free and Technical Free medals have travelled home to the same country, so all eyes will be on Solo Technical winner Evangelia Platanioti late this evening to see if Greece’s medal tally here in Doha doubles after the Women’s Solo Free final.

Athletes to Watch:

Evangelia Platanioti (GRE):  Evangelia Platanioti became Greece’s first-ever Artistic Swimming world champion three days ago and all will be aiming to become a two-time world champion this evening. While Plataniotio is considered to be stronger in the Solo Technical, she did win bronze in the Solo Free at Budapest 2022 and with an increase in degree of difficulty between preliminaries and finals she should be on the dais providing it is a basemark-free routine.

Vasiliki Alexandri (AUT):  A dual silver medallist in Fukuoka in both the Solo Technical and Solo Free, Austria’s Vasiliki Alexandri was devastated after her Solo Technical here in Fukuoka but managed to bounce back in the best possible fashion in the Solo Free preliminaries with a near flawless 253.8625. Will tonight be the night for the highly-regarded Alexandri to finally win that elusive first World Aquatics Championships gold medal?

Previous Championships:

2023:  Gold – Yukiko Inui (JPN), Silver - Vasiliki Alexandri (AUT), Bronze – Kate Shortman (GBR)

2022:  Gold – Yukiko Inui (JPN), Silver – Marta Fiedina (UKR), Bronze - Evangelia Platanioti