The Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final kicks off tomorrow in Xi’an, China, the final stop of the 2024 World Cup circuit. This is also the last major competition before the World Championships in Singapore, and 16 nations have made the trip for one final test.

For the European countries in attendance, including Spain, Greece, Germany, Georgia, and Great Britain, it’s been a very fast turnaround from last week’s European Championships in Funchal. Most athletes only had a few days at home before hopping on a long-haul flight to China. Fatigue may be a factor, but this meet will be a great simulation of the back-to-back demands they’ll face in Singapore, where preliminary rounds stretch across most events.

In Xi’an, all eyes will mostly be on China, the host nation and reigning Olympic Champion, as it unveils its top team for the first time this season. Across the three team events, we’ll see four Paris Olympic gold medalists back in action, Chang Hao, Feng Yu, Xiang Binxuan, and Zhang Yayi, along with Cheng Wentao, who served as the Olympic team reserve last summer.

 

The Chinese squad will debut two new team routines this weekend. “Qin Terracotta Warriors” will be the new acrobatic routine, and “Wukong”, using music from the video game Black Myth: Wukong, will be the new technical program. Both blend traditional Chinese elements with high-difficulty movement and international aesthetics, a balance head coach Zhang Xiaohuan believes makes them universally powerful.

The acrobatic routine draws a lot on Xi’an’s rich cultural history, as Zhang felt deeply inspired by the city following a training camp there after the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. She chose the specific theme of “Qin Terracotta Warriors”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as she felt it was the most representative.

“From the production of music to the choreography of movements, we have a strong Chinese style, and we especially hope that the team members can perform this set of movements well,” Zhang said. “All the acrobatic movements are very powerful, and we have spent a lot of time on the choreography. Starting with the land movements, there are forms that imitate the power and ‘thousands of people and thousands of faces’ of the Terracotta Army, as well as the famous ‘Kneeling Archer with a Green Face’, all of which are shown in the program.

It not only promotes Chinese traditional culture, but also meets the difficulty requirements of the current development of synchronized swimming, and highlights the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. I am very proud and looking forward to use the global stage to promote our culture. I hope that the athletes swimming at home can have a good performance and showcase wonderful programs for our Chinese audience and audiences around the world.”

The “A” Chinese team had been absent from the first three World Cup stops this year, staying in Beijing to refine these programs. Now, all eyes will be on them in Xi’an.

All in all, the hosts are entered in all 11 events at this competition, and will go head-to-head with a red-hot Spanish squad coming off an 11-medal haul at Europeans, including five golds, and a strong, consistent Japanese team that has looked sharp all season on the World Cup circuit.

With barely a few days to spare, Spain has made only a few minor changes since Funchal, the main one being the return of two-time Olympian Blanca Toledano in the acrobatic routine after being sidelined by a minor neck injury.

In solo, Germany’s Klara Bleyer, reigning European Champion in the free routine, will go up against China’s Xu Huiyan. Xu is the reigning World bronze medalist and World Junior Champion in technical solo, and she’s been neck and neck with Bleyer at multiple meets over the years. In fact, they traded gold and silver in these events at last year’s Super Final, with Bleyer winning free solo and Xu technical solo.

But they’re not alone in the medal conversation. Spain’s Iris Tio, World and European medalist, Aruba’s Kyra Hoevertsz, Georgia’s Maria Alavidze, and Neutral Athlete Vasilina Khandoshka have all stood on World Cup podiums this year. Also worth watching is Japan’s Higa Moe, who made her return to solo in Markham and finished fourth.

The men’s solo events are equally stacked, where every single athlete is a medal contender as all have finished on the podium at one point this year. For Spain, Jordi Caceres, fresh off of winning the European title in free solo, gets the nod for both routines here, not only to compete but to qualify for prize money.

China’s Guo Muye, however, is the heavy favorite. He’s won three solo golds on the World Cup circuit this season and may be difficult to beat at home. Nonetheless, European Champion Ranjuo Tomblin of Great Britain, coming off a very strong showing in Funchal and a double World Cup gold medalist himself, will surely be pushing for the top step. Sadly, we won’t see Kazakhstan’s Eduard Kim, as he doesn’t appear in the start lists despite competing in all three World Cups this season and medaling in both Paris and Soma Bay.

In the duet, Australia is making a welcome return for the first time since the Paris Games, with a new pairing of Olympian Georgia Courage-Gardiner and Olympic reserve Natalia Caloiero. Meanwhile, the duets from China, Spain, and Japan continue to be the ones to watch, all having delivered solid performances throughout the season.

In mixed duet, Spain, two-time European Champions, remain the favorites after a clean sweep of both events at the last two World Cup stops. However, the new British pair of Tomblin and Olympic silver medalist Isabelle Thorpe came fairly close in Funchal and will look to challenge once more, while also swimming in the free event for the first time.

Mexico has also entered a new and exciting mixed pair with Joana Jimenez, a two-time Olympian, making her debut in this event alongside Diego Villalobos in the technical routine. And of course, China’s mixed duet will be eager to perform well at home and should not be counted out.

The World Cup Super Final starts tomorrow at 11:00 am local with the women’s technical solo final. The day will continue with the technical duet, men’s technical solo and technical team events.

ARTICLE BY CHRISTINA MARMET

Cover photo: Aniko Kovacs / World Aquatics

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