The results of the first edition of the FINA World Series have been compiled following the last competition of the series last weekend in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Ukraine is the big winner of this inaugural event as the federation grabbed first place in the duet and team categories with 340 and 680 points, respectively. Spain’s Ona Carbonell won the solo category with 400 points, and Japan’s Atsushi Abe and Yumi Adachi came in first in the mixed duet with 380 points.
For the solo, duet and mixed duet categories, the rankings are compiled by adding the points obtained in the free and technical routines. For the team rankings, the scores of the technical, free, free combination and highlight events are compiled.
As explained in our original article when the World Series was first introduced, each federation is attributed the following points per event: 1st place = 50pts, 2nd place = 40 pts, 3rd place = 30pts, 4th place = 20pts, 5th place = 15pts, 6th place = 14pts, 7th place = 13pts, 8th place = 12pts, 9th place = 11pts, and 10th place = 10pts.
In order to be eligible for prize money, each federation had to compete in at least four meets of the series, and participation at the FINA World Championships was mandatory.
The Ukrainian pair of Anna Voloshyna and Yelyzaveta Yakhno won the duet category with 340 points over Canada (240), while China and Spain tied for third with 200 points. According to FINA, the only federation to have finished in the top three that was eligible for prize money was Ukraine, which won $25,000. Additionally, the U.S. will earn $10,000, Belarus $8,000 and Slovakia $6,000.
Ukraine also won the team category with a whopping 680 points, and a 380 points lead over second-place finisher Japan. Uzbekistan came in third with 257 points. The Ukrainians were everywhere this season as a team and competed at the Make Up For Ever French Open, the Canadian Open, the Spanish Open, Suv Parisi and of course the FINA World Championships. They were also one of the few to frequently compete a highlight routine throughout the year, which helped in taking such a big lead over Japan in the overall rankings. The federation did well to take advantage of this series as it earner another $25,000 here. Ukraine was the only nation eligible for a prize money in the team category.
In the solo category, Ona Carbonell came in first ahead of Ukraine’s Anna Voloshyna (320 points) and Canada’s Jaqueline Simoneau (280 points). Carbonell competed extensively this season in eligible meets counting towards the series, and won gold at the Japan Open, Spanish Open, Synchro America Open, Suv Parisi and two silvers at the FINA World Championships. These three athletes were eligible for prize money. Carbonell won $25,000, Voloshyna $10,000 and Simoneau $8,000.
Last but not least, Japan’s mixed pair of Atsushi Abe and Yumi Adachi scored 380 points to win that category. The two won two silvers in the mixed duets at the MUFE French Open, and gold medals at the Japan Open, Spanish Open, and Suv Parisi. They placed fourth in both technical and mixed duet events at Worlds.
Germany’s duet of Niklas Stoepel and Amelie Ebert was second with 260 points, and the Canadians Robert Prevost and Isabelle Blanchet-Rampling placed third with 180 points. Only Japan and Germany were available for prize money, and they each earned $25,000 and $10,000, respectively.
Unfortunately, we do not have the full rankings available but only the top six in each category, which are available below:
Solo Rankings
| Rank | Nation | Swimmer | Total Points |
| 1 | Spain | Ona Carbonell | 400 |
| 2 | Ukraine | Anna Voloshyna | 320 |
| 3 | Canada | Jacqueline Simoneau | 280 |
| 4 | Japan | Yukiko Inui | 160 |
| 5 | Hungary | Szofi Kiss | 87 |
| 6 | USA | Anita Alvarez | 80 |
Duet Rankings
| Rank | Nation | Total Points |
| 1 | Ukraine | 340 |
| 2 | Canada | 240 |
| 3T | China | 200 |
| 3T | Spain | 200 |
| 5 | USA | 192 |
| 6 | Belarus | 188 |
Mixed Duet Rankings
| Rank | Nation | Total Points |
| 1 | Japan | 380 |
| 2 | Germany | 260 |
| 3 | Canada | 180 |
| 4T | Italy | 100 |
| 4T | China | 100 |
| 6 | Spain | 80 |
Team Rankings
| Rank | Nation | Total Points |
| 1 | Ukraine | 680 |
| 2 | Japan | 300 |
| 3 | Uzbekistan | 257 |
| 4T | China | 200 |
| 4T | Kazakhstan | 200 |
| 6 | Spain | 160 |
Article by Christina Marmet