China claims sixth straight artistic swimming team title with debut of new routine

China also extended its six-edition winning streak in the duet event, where Lin Yanjun and Xu Huiyan claimed gold on Sunday. China's breakthrough at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, when it ended Japan's long dominance by winning both the duet and team titles, has been followed by uninterrupted success in all artistic swimming events at subsequent Asian Games.

"The rise of Chinese artistic swimming has been built on the tireless efforts of generations of athletes," Zhang said. "I have always believed that the future of artistic swimming depends on continuity and that its legacy must be carried forward. Only through the dedication of successive generations and the passing of the torch can Chinese artistic swimming continue to make breakthroughs and move steadily forward."