How Did China Excel on the First Day of the 2025 World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final?

Xi'an (China), June 13 (NationPress) China's rising stars in artistic swimming showcased impressive skills at the FINA World Cup Super Final in Xi'an, with the home team claiming three out of four available gold medals and securing one silver on the opening day of competition this past Friday.

Mexico clinched the fourth gold medal on Friday, with Diego Villalobos Carrillo triumphing in the men's solo technical event, pushing China's 17-year-old Muye Guo to a silver medal position. Villalobos Carrillo achieved a score of 225.0841 with an emotionally charged performance, while Guo scored 224.0400.

The Chinese squad, which included four reigning champions from the Paris Olympics along with four promising newcomers, executed a stunning routine inspired by the renowned Black Myth: Wukong video game, merging Chinese mythology with elite artistic swimming techniques. Their performance garnered 277.2258 points, earning them gold, according to Xinhua.

Zhang Xiaohuan, head coach of the Chinese team, expressed pride in the routine's strong cultural essence and the grandeur reminiscent of the Qin Dynasty. "We are paying our respect to our home ground," she added.

Chang Hao, a seasoned artistic swimmer, rated their performance an 8/10, noting that they are currently in a transition phase with veteran and new athletes collaborating, which can lead to coordination challenges. "We need more time to refine our teamwork before we reach our peak performance. However, our seven months of intensive training have already shown remarkable improvements," he stated.

Spain secured second place with 276.1408 points, while Japan followed closely in third with 262.5166 points.

Paula Ramirez Ibanez from Spain remarked, "We aim to enhance our elements' complexity, but our primary goal is to excel in artistic impression. We were genuinely impressed by the Chinese routine; their artistry is remarkable."

The teenage duo of Xu Huiyan and Lin Yanjun demonstrated significant advancement in their three-week-long partnership. Their routine themed 'Moon Shadow Dancer' scored 289.6150 points, earning them gold and surpassing the Japanese pair Moe Higa/Tomoka Sato, who scored 281.4309.

Spanish competitors Txell Ferre Gaset and Lilou Lluis Valette, who had previously ranked first in the World Cup series in Paris and second in Markham, finished third with 277.8705.

Xu Huiyan commented on their performance, stating, "Given our limited training together, we've shown considerable progress. However, I believe we can achieve even more. I wasn't fully satisfied with our synchronization today, which needs improvement."

Xu also claimed the women's solo technical title earlier on Friday with a score of 258.7933.

As one of China's leading solo artistic swimmers, Xu Huiyan has the opportunity to further enhance her performance, particularly in achieving fluid extensions and refining the precision of her leg movements, according to Zhang.

Muye Guo, who earned silver in the men's solo technical event, acknowledged the heightened pressure at this competition. "I felt the pressure was significant here at the Super Final, especially competing in front of a home crowd," he shared.

The Super Final continues on Saturday, featuring four disciplines: men's solo free, duet solo free, mixed duet technical, and team free, marking the conclusion of the 2025 Artistic Swimming World Cup series.