PARIS - Four sets of twin sisters finished in the top five of the duet technical on Friday at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, with only the fourth-placed British pair separating them.

China’s Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi gave another masterclass in technical execution that put them nine points ahead of their nearest rivals, Austrian sisters Anna-Maria Alexandri and Eirini-Marina Alexandri. Dutch twins Bregje de Brouwer and Noortje de Brouwer follow behind in third.

Seeking their country's first ever Olympic medal in artistic swimming, Great Britain’s Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe came just 0.7 points short of the Netherlands, to stop Ukrainian twins Maryna Aleksiiva and Vladyslava Aleksiiva making it a currently a clean sweep for all the sisters.

It was a tearful night for some, however, with USA's 18-year-old Megumi Field clearly out of sync in an early leg combination with partner Jaime Czarkowski, to leave them in 11th place. Similarly, 19-year-old Canada's Audrey LAMOTHE lost her timing at the end of her and Jacqueline Simoneau's routine to place them in 15th.

Italy withdrew from the duet competition due to injury.

For Friday’s artistic swimming results click here

Quote of the Day

“(In Ukraine) we have curfew at midnight, and sometimes (here) we forget when we hear voices laughing at night, and we think, ‘Why are they still walking outside? It's curfew.’ Then we realise we’re in France."
- Vladyslava Aleksiiva of Ukraine on competing in Paris after training in Ukraine from September to January with twin sister Maryna. 

Click here for all the quotes from artistic swimming

Stat of the Day

The Alexandri's are actually triplets. Sister Vasiliki Alexandri also competes in artistic swimming, usually in solo events.

Click here for artistic swimming stats and facts

What Happens Next

The four sets of twin sisters from China, Austria, Netherlands and Ukraine will battle it out for medals with the Brits in the duet free competition on Saturday.