Olympics | Chinese twin sisters lead duet technical in artistic swimming

Wang Liuyi/Wang Qianyi of China compete during the duet technical routine of artistic swimming at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Saint-Denis, France, Aug. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

China's twin sisters Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi took the lead in the duet technical artistic swimming Friday at the Paris Olympics, delivering a standout performance with their "Lotus" routine.

PARIS, August 9 (Xinhua) -- China's twin sisters Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi took the lead after the duet technical in artistic swimming at the Paris Olympics here on Friday.

As the multiple world champions, the Wang sisters performed the routine with the theme 'Lotus', a combination of gentle and tough characteristics, and collected a total of 276.7867 points.

"It was a challenge that we focused on the three team routines rather than our duet routines recently. We tried hard to practice and remember our routines yesterday. I believe all the duet swimmers met the same difficulty as we do. We were very glad to enjoy our show in front of the full-house fans," said 27-year-old Wang Liuyi.

"We really enjoyed the moment because it is the first time that we have competed together at the Olympic Games. Liuyi got injured and did not compete in the Tokyo Olympics, while I did. We will try our best in the duet free," Wang Qianyi said.

Anna-Maria Alexandri/ Eirini-Marina Alexandri of Austria compete during the duet technical routine of artistic swimming at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Saint-Denis, France, Aug. 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Xia Yifang)

There are four pairs of twins competing in this event in Paris, as Austria's Anna-Maria and Eirini-Marina Alexandri ranked second with 267.2533, and Bregje and Noortje De Brouwer of the Netherlands are third on 264.7066 points. Ukraine's twins Maryna and Vladyslava Aleksiiva ended in fifth place.

The women's duet at the Paris Olympics consists of a single final phase, with all 18 qualified pairs completing two routines, also including the free routine on Saturday.