Russia, Japan lead duet synchronized swimming
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-08-24 14:10

Russian and Japanese pairs proved their power in the pool again at the 28th Olympic Games when they led the standing after the technical section of the duet synchronized swimming on Monday.

As expected, defending champions the two Anastasia's Davydova and Ermakova of Russia overshadowed the rest of the field by their flawless performance, earning a 49.417 points ahead of their long-time rival Miya Tachina and Miho Takedo from Japan.

The Japanese pair, who had to settle for silvers at Sydney Olympics and last year's world championships in Barcelona, Spain, collected 49.000 for the second spot followed by pairs from the United States, Spain, France and Canada.

Miya Tachina said, "We have done very well. We will do even better and we hope to do better than the Russian rivals. "

Chinese swimmers Gu Beibei/Zhang Xiaohua, who opened the competition as the first pair, had 46.584 points to confirm a seventh position.

Twenty four pairs competed in the technical section of the duet synchronized swimming at the Olympic Aquatic Center. The free routine section starts on August 24 and final take place on August25.

Each team needed to complete a two and a half minute routine which include seven compulsory elements joined together in a creative presentation. Competitors are marked on the technical excellence and on the overall impression giving a possible total of 50 points.

Team preliminary and finals will be held on August 26-27.