Artistic Swimming | Mixed Duet Free

Image Source: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

The top four nations from Fukuoka 2022 have qualified through as the four highest scoring duets after the preliminaries with the People’s Republic of China, Spain, Mexico and Colombia all expecting to challenge for the final artistic swimming medal of 2024.

Athletes to Watch:

Dennis Gonzalez Boneu & Mireia Hernandez Luna (ESP): After two fourth-placed finishes in the Solo Technical and Duet Technical events, Dennis Gonzalez Boneu bounced back onto the medal dais with a second place in the Solo Free (the event he was crowned the inaugural world champion in Fukuoka last year). Gonzalez Boneu will again pair with his fellow Duet Free bronze medallist from Fukuoka Mireia Hernandez Luna who is only in Doha for the two mixed events. Yesterday Gonzalez Boneu was named World Aquatics Male Artistic Swimmer of the Year for 2023, and even more than the cash prize and Waterford Crystal trophy that were added to his suitcase, he is definitely most of all wanting to return from Doha with a gold medal.

Diego Villalobos Carrillo & Trinidad Meza Rodriguez (MEX):  Whilst the majority of artistic swimmers have wrapped up their Doha 2024 campaigns, spare a thought for Mexico’s Trinidad Meza Rodriguez who had her first swim of the championships yesterday in the preliminaries of the Mixed Duet Free. It was Meza Rodriguez’s first swim at a World Aquatics Championships since her debut routine in the same event at Budapest 2022. Pairing with Meza Rodriguez will be Diego Villalobos Carrillo who at just 18 years old is already Mexico’s most decorated artist swimmer. The two-time World Aquatics Championships medallist will be looking for career medal number three, which if won, would mean that all three of his medals will have been won with a separate partner.

Previous Championships:

  • 2023:  Gold - Shi Haoyu & Cheng Wentao (CHN), Silver – Itzamary Gonzalez Cuellar & Diego Villalobos Carrillo (MEX), Bronze – Dennis Gonzalez Boneu & Miriela Hernandez Luna (ESP)
  • 2022:  Gold – Giorgio Minisini & Lucrezia Ruggiero (ITA), Silver – Tomoka Sato & Yotaro Sato (JPN), Bronze – Shi Haoyu & Zhang Yiyao (CHN)

 

Diving | Mixed 3m Synchronised

Image Source: Domonic Bedggood and Maddison Keeney of Team Australia compete at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

With the People’s Republic of China not contesting the Mixed 3m Synchronised event opportunity awaits for another nation to add to their medal tally on the final day of diving competition at the Hamad Aquatic Centre.

Athletes to Watch: 

Maddison Keeney & Domonic Bedggood (AUS): It has been 21 years since Australia won multiple gold medals in diving at a single World Aquatics Championships when back at Barcelona 2003 Irina Lashko won the Women’s 1m Springboard and Matthew Helm paired with Robert Newbery to take out the Men’s 10m Synchronised. Maddison Keeney won this event at Gwangju 2019 alongside Matthew Carter and today pairs with Domonic Bedggood who she won silver with at Fukuoka 2023. With Alysha Koloi already winning the 1m Springboard here at Doha 2024, is the stage set for another Australian gold at Doha 2024.

Previous Championships:

  • 2023:  Gold – Lin Shan & Zhu Zifeng (CHN), Silver – Domonic Bedggood & Maddison Keeney (AUS), Bronze – Chiara Pellacani & Matteo Santoro (MEX)
  • 2022:  Gold – Lin Shan & Zhu Zifeng (CHN), Silver –Chiara Pellacani & Matteo Santoro (MEX), Bronze – James Heatly & Grace Reid (GBR)

Diving | Men’s 10m Platform

Image Source: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The twenty-first edition of the World Aquatics Championships will crown a new world champion in the Men’s 10m Platform with previous champions Thomas Daley and Cassiel Rousseau opting out of the final event on the program.

Athletes to Watch:

Hang Yao (CHN):  The People’s Republic of China’s Hang Yao is a four-time champion off the 10m platform but only in synchronised events. This evening he gets the chance to win his first individual World Aquatics Championships gold medal after a silver in the individual event at Gwangju 2019, and bronze medals at Budapest 2022 and Fukuoka 2023.

Cao Yuan (CHN):   The People’s Republic of China’s Cao Yuan is also a four-time world champion, but similarly all his gold medals have come as part of synchronised teams across both the 3m Springboard and 10m Platform. Will Cao finally have his breakthrough individual moment in Doha at the age of 29.

Previous Championships:

  • 2023:  Gold – Cassiel Rousseau (AUS), Silver – Lian Junjie (CHN), Bronze – Yang Hao (CHN)
  • 2022:  Gold – Yang Jian (CHN), Silver – Rikuto Tamai (JPN), Bronze – Yang Hao (CHN)