China's synchronized swimming team compete in the final of the team free synchronized swimming competition at the FINA World Championships at the indoor stadium of the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai on Sunday. The Chinese team won silver. [Photo/Agencies]

SHANGHAI - After winning six silver medals at the 14th FINA World Championships to surpass its results in Rome two years ago, the Chinese synchronized swimming team is aiming to narrow the gap between itself and Russia, the sport's powerhouse.

"The team has improved greatly since I took it to the Beijing Olympics in terms of the routines' difficulty," China's head coach, Masayo Imura, said after the squad finished second in the team free combination on Saturday. "But we still see a big gap between us and Russia. Our main focus before next year's Olympics is to go closer to them."

After the week-long event, China improved sharply from its one bronze medal in Rome to six silver medals in Shanghai, a result that see the host edge out Spain and finish second to the gold-sweeping Russians.

Although the Chinese team's rocketing rise in the past two years has created expectations for a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics, Imura remained calm about the haul, stressing this week's result is still "unstable".

"I don't know. We lag far behind them in many aspects," Imura said when asked about the possibility of outperforming Russia in London. "We only finished this tournament in second place. It doesn't mean we are the established runner-up in the world now.

"Each of our battles against Spain here was pretty close and we had the advantage of the home pool. They will still be tough rivals for us for the runner-up spot," said Imura, who started guiding China in 2006.

To maintain the lead over Spain and match Russia, the Chinese squad is planning to increase the difficulty of its routines and improve its synchronism.

"Our main weaknesses are the difficulties and connection between the elements compared with the Russian team," said the Chinese squad's assistant coach, Zhang Xiaohuan, who used to be the team captain. "They keep the whole routine tight and fast; that's what we have to improve."

Starting from a low profile, the Chinese synchronized swimming attracted increasing attention at the Shanghai Worlds. However, Imura is still calling for more people to support the sport.

"If I go for a walk and some spectators recognize me and chase me like I was an entertainer, I will definitely feel happy," Imura said. "I hope to make it a proud event for the Chinese and for my swimmers to get star treatment."

China Daily