Doha, Qatar, February 9, 2024: On the eve of the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, China’s artistic swimming team breathed fire at the Aspire Dome on Friday afternoon in winning the mixed team free title in sensational style.
After Japan had posted a high score of 315.2229 to shoot into the lead, all eyes focused on the Chinese eight in the last performance of the 12-team competition.
The Chinese rose to the occasion by eclipsing Japan’s score with a colossal 339.7604, comprised of 122.7000 for artistic impression and 217.0604 for execution. Japan took the silver, ahead of the United States with 304.9021 for bronze.
With this victory, China earned their sixth gold medal in the artistic swimming competition of Doha 2024, and their 13th gold overall of the world championships with seven also coming in diving until this point.
Team member Cheng Wentao summed up the feeling in the Chinese camp. When asked about how the team felt after Japan’s high score in the penultimate swim, Cheng said: “We just focused on our performance and on the competition. We needed to do hard work but I trust my team and what we have done together for the past few months. I am so excited and proud of my team.”
Cheng said that the key to China’s golden run here was sheer hard work. “I believe hard work is important for us. We put a lot of time into training every day – maybe eight hours a day.”
With the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Dragon falling on Saturday, February 10, Cheng said her hopes for the new year were good health for her family – and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Japan’s team captain, Megumu Yoshida, said she was happy with the result. “To get the silver medal we feel so good. Today is our best performance.”
Yoshida, whose hometown is Nagoya in Aichi prefecture – the next host of the Asian Games in 2026 – said the team had been training for the world championships since the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last October.
The team has been together for one year and their aim is clear. “I want to catch up with China. We have to have more high difficulty points……and higher.”
China’s eight-strong team was: Chang Hao, Cheng Wentao, Feng Yu, Li Xiuchen, Wang Ciyue, Xiang Binxuan, Xiao Yanning and Zhang Yayi.
Japan’s silver medal-winners were: Higa Moe, Kijima Moeka, Kobayashi Uta, Sato Tomoka, Wada Ami, Yanagisawa Akane, Yasunaga Mashiro and Yoshida Megumu.
