The duet, who claimed their nation’s first-ever global title in the sport in Japan last summer, have not competed since that event after Anna-Maria suffered a shoulder dislocation.

In addition to the Alexandri sisters, Kazakhstan’s mixed duet of Eduard Kim and Nargiza Bolatova, as well as Team Japan also celebrated gold medals in their respective technical and free finals.

The second leg of the 2024 Artistic Swimming World Cup is doubling up as the official test event for the Paris Olympic Games this summer.

Women Duet Free

Less than 24 hours after competing in the Duet Technical competition, the majority of the field returned for the free event, which presented a further opportunity to gain experience in the venue, which will host Olympic artistic swimming this summer.

There were some significant changes to the line-up though with Great Britain’s Tech gold medallists Izzy Thorpe and Kate Shortman opting to rest, while Austria’s Alexandri sisters lined-up for the first time since Fukuoka 2023.

The USA’s Jamie Czarkowski and Megumi Field opened the event and produced a strong opening which will strengthen their case for Paris 2024 selection.

They led until the Austrian duet completed a highly impressive ‘Condors’ themed routine to the soundtrack ‘No Glory’, which carried a degree of difficulty of 46.2500.

A superb performance saw the judges award them a combined score (for artistic impression and execution) of 265.9646.

“It was an amazing feeling because it’s the Olympic pool, and just competing in the water was a great test,” said Erini-Marina.

“It was our first competition since Fukuoka (last year) and it felt really great in the water, so it was good to show the world what we can do.”

Anna-Maria, who suffered the injury, added, " We had to withdraw from Doha, and we fixed it (the shoulder) with a lot of physio exercises, and the fact that we could perform like that gives us a lot of motivation.”

Japan’s 2023 Duet Tech world champions Higa Moe and Yasunaga Mashiro attained 236.7334, but it would not quite be enough for the podium.

First Ukrainian sisters Vladyslava and Maryna Aleksiiva, who were fourth in the Tech event on day one, were awarded 243.9354 for their ‘Ambitious Games’ themed routine.

They would claim silver (243.9354), with Canadian duet Jacqueline Simoneau and Audrey Lamothe (238.2876) securing their second bronze in as many days.

“This routine was about happiness ‘up and down’ and we try to show something good and make the audience happy so it was incredible to do that in this incredible venue,” Maryna Aleksiiva told World Aquatics.

Canadian Simoneau said they were “incredibly pleased” with their third-place finish.

“For us it’s ‘slow and steady wins the race’ so today we are really thrilled to deliver a strong and clean swim but we know we have a lot more in store leading into Paris,” she said.

Mixed Duet Technical

An enthusiastic crowd cheered on the eight-strong line-up for the day's second final as the mixed duet pairings took to the Olympic pool for the first time competitively.

The medals were expected to be contested between diving in during the second half of the competition. And so it proved.

Italy’s men’s solo tech bronze medallist Filippo Pelati and new partner Sarah Maria Rizea, performing to ‘The Renaissance’, were the first to demonstrate their routine and achieved a highly competitive combined score of 207.5367.

That was enough for silver, clear of Spain’s new duet of Jordi Caceres Iglesias and Judith Calvo Requena attained 198.8417, who attained a maiden World Cup medal together.

World champions Eduard Kim and Nargiza Bolatova were unsurprisingly the gold medal favourites and lived up to that billing with a strong score showing.

Their display to the track ‘Crisis at baby corp’ was awarded a title winning total of 216.3250.

“It was a simple programme which we made around a year and a half ago so we might chance for the next World Cup, but we are so happy with our performance,” said Kim.

Italian Pelati said he was “proud” of the silver medal-winning performance with Rizea, whilst Spanish duo told World Aquatics they “really enjoyed” their display and routine which they only created a month ago.

Team Free

Rounding off the second day of the Artistic Swimming World Cup in Paris were eight nations, including Australia, Canada, Egypt, Japan and the United States of America, who will all return for the Olympic Games in August.

Kazakhstan is not among those, but their line-up was clearly intent on leaving an impression in the minds of those packed into the Olympic Aquatics Centre.

They produced a colourful routine of power and precision to attain a combined overall score of 253.6353, which would ensure they claimed a podium place, with bronze.

“It’s my first bronze medal in the world cup and for our country so it’s very cool,” said Zhaniya Zhiyengazy.

The Canadians had finished sixth in the tech final on the opening day of competition but a refocused and reenergised line-up delivered a subline performance.

Their routine achieved a combined total score of 297.5853, which saw them finish second.

“It’s just so amazing and special to be here in Paris and to have an incredible swim and really feel that connection all together and really feel proud about everything we’ve been able to accomplish,” Kenzie Priddell told World Aquatics.

Last to take to the water were Japan, the World Championship silver medallists – behind China – in the discipline at Doha 2024.

Having opted against competing in the Tech event on the opening day a rested Japanese team demonstrated why they will be strong Olympic medal contenders with an astounding performance which judges rewarded with a colossal combined score of 323.3207. 

“It was a great performance from the team in a very beautiful pool and now although we have more practice (ahead of us) we are really excited about the Olympic and pushing to a higher place,” Yoshida Megumu told World Aquatics.

The World Cup Concludes On Sunday

The final day of the Olympic test event in Paris will see feature four finals – Women Solo Free, Men Solo Free, Mixed Duet Free, and Team Acrobatic – as well as the traditional competition conclusion gala.