BUDAPEST, July 21 -- The Russian team won on the fourth day of the 16th FINA World Junior Artistic Swimming Championships here on Saturday in the Mixed Duet Technical final and the Women Team Free final.
In the Mixed Duet Technical final, the Russians clinched the gold with 83.6404 points, followed by China with 79.3538, while the Japanese swimmers came third with 78.7287.
The Women's Team Free final saw Russia clinched the title in 93.6667, while the Ukrainian team bagged silver on 91.8000. The bronze medal went to the Japanese team with 90.5667, closely followed by the Chinese swimmers who came fourth with 89.4000.
The European powerhouse dominated all the way through to the final round and landed gold in the Team Free final, just like two years ago in Kazan and 4 years ago in Helsinki.
The 5-participant Mixed Duet Technical final kicked off in a fully-packed Duna Arena, wishing to celebrate the first juniors mixed champions in the history.
The quest for the medals was rich in bright performances and innovative choreography. However, pace-makers remained the same, and favorites Russians, which swam first, were very convincing unveiling their story.
Alina Mantulenko and Mikhail Vasilev presented a routine called "A little less conversation" by Elvis Presley. It was a stream of emotions, which were properly highlighted by required technical elements.
"The overall we have collected is neither bad, nor great," Alina Mantulenko said. "Our coach said, she is pleased with the result, but we know, we can do better."
China's Zhang Yiyao and Shi Haoyu swam a routine of "Wings of Liberty", narrated with a strong Asian philosophical accent and scored 79.3538. They needed to wait for the result of Japanese swimmers Jimma Iwasaki and Kana Miyauchi before they finally nailed the silver.
The Japanese performed to "They don't care about us" by Michael Jackson. Japanese youngsters did not cope with the pressure and could not jump over their heads as they finished third.