Just three weeks before the Olympic Games commence the top-ranked artistic swimmers will gather in Budapest for the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final.
It presents athletes with the final opportunity to refine the routines they hope will bring them success this summer and gain valuable feedback from judges, many of whom will also line upline up poolside at Paris 2024.
The three-day event in Hungary's capital will see leading solo, duet and team combinations from across the 2024 World Cup campaign seek the ultimate Super Final crowns.
"The Super Final is a significant competition for us," Canadian Jacqueline Simoneau tells World Aquatics.
The two-time Olympian, who will contest the Duet and Team events in Budapest, adds, "It's really the last chance to test our routines, test our degrees of difficulty and see where we are fair next to our other competitors."
Who Is On The 'Path To Paris' At Super Final 2024?
Eyes will be keenly focused on the women's duet and team competitions, given that these are the disciplines that will be on show at the Olympic Games.
The former will be among the events scheduled for the opening morning (5 July), as 18 duets take to the water in the Duna Arena for the Duet Technical final.
Although those from Austria, the Netherlands and Great Britain are missing following a combination of injuries and exertions at the recent European Championships, it will feature eight of those who will perform in Paris.
Israel's Shelly Bobritsky and Ariel Nassee are among those who entered the competition fresh from claiming two European bronze medals at Belgrade 2024.
Spanish duo Alisa Ozhogina and Iris Tio Casas, who have finished third at the last two World Championships and won last year's Duet Tech Super Cup gold, are also ones to watch.
Canada's Audrey Lamothe and Simoneau—fifth in Free and seventh in Tech at Doha 2024—will aim to continue making progress after their impressive showing at the World Cup in Arkham last month, where they attained two silver medals.
"One thing that we've really been working on since the beginning of the World Cup season is our synchronisation," Simoneau tells World Aquatics.
"Here in Canada, it's not something that's been a priority for us until we've seen that this is our weakest part compared to other countries.
"That (work) really paid off in Markham, and we were really pleased with that success, and we're looking to carry that on here in Budapest and carry it into Paris as well."
Twin sisters Maryna and Valdyslava Aleksiyiva were part of the Ukrainian bronze medal-winning Team line-up at Tokyo 2020. Still, they struggled after the introduction of new rules within the sport.
Their results have gradually improved, though, and they will aim to secure another podium finish ahead of their push for honours at Paris 2024.
Australia, Egypt, Mexico and the USA are the other Olympic duets.
The team events will feature Olympic line-ups from Australia, Canada, Egypt, USA and Mexico.
Not all of those nations will compete in each discipline, though, with Mexico, for example, opting out of the Team Acrobatic final.
That event will feature the other 'big four' as well as Chile, Hungary and Kazakhstan.
Singapore, hosts of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, has joined the line-up for the Team Technical event.
Season Climax For Non-Olympic Athletes
For those who did not qualify for Paris 2024 or compete in non-Olympic disciplines, the Super Final will represent the culmination of a fascinating season.
For many, it began with the World Aquatics Championships, Doha 2024, before taking on World Cup events across China (Beijing), France (Paris) and Canada (Markham).
Xu Huiyan of China has enjoyed an incredible debut season on the World Cup circuit, winning two silver medals and one gold.
In Budapest, the 18-year-old will look to add a maiden Super Cup honour to the Solo Tech bronze she claimed at the Doha 2024 World Championships.
The women's solo events will also see Germany's Klara Bleyer, who won two silvers at the Paris World Cup and three honours at the recent European Championships, look to extend her medal-winning streak.
Also, keep an eye out for Marloes Steenbeek of the Netherlands, who secured two bronze medals at the senior Europeans before claiming a maiden European Junior title last week in what has been a busy month for the teenager.
Dennis Gonzalez is always a star attraction on the men's side and will line up in the Solo Tech event, but the World champion is far from the only major medal contender.
Eduard Kim (Kazakhstan), Gustavo Sanchez (Colombia), Kenneth Gaudet (USA), and rising star Filippo Pelati (Italy) are among the talented people helping progress the sport.
The majority of those men will also contest the Mixed disciplines, where again, Boneu is likely to be the favourite in Free (alongside Emma Garcia) and in Tech (with Mireia Hernandez Luna).
Pelati will also alternate his partners, with Sarah Maria Rizea (Tech) and Flamina Vernice (Free) joining him at those events.
Sanchez will be paired with 17-year-old Emily Minate for both disciplines, with duets from Kazakhstan, Chile, and Bulgaria completing the line-up.
Check Out the Competition Schedule