The golden generation
After a 36-year journey, China has finally set foot on the top step of an Olympic podium
The Paris Olympics saw new rules introduced for the artistic swimming team event, which now includes a technical routine, a free routine and an acrobatic routine, each of which is scored separately. The team with the highest combined score is crowned champion.
A major change in the rules is that any mistake, or a failure to complete the declared difficulty, will result in the score being downgraded to the base score.
"With the new rules, all countries start on an equal footing. During our preparation, we faced both successes and setbacks. Despite the high expectations for this gold medal, we managed to handle the pressure," said Wang Liuyi.
"The biggest challenge is not the external competition or the difficulty levels of other countries, but ourselves."
In February, the team delivered its best-ever performance at the World Championships in Doha, securing seven gold medals, one silver and a bronze — a massive confidence boost ahead of Paris.
And what boost it was! On Aug 5, China led the field with a score of 313.5538 in the technical routine.
The following evening, they maintained their dominance in the team free, with a routine that scored 398.8917, the highest of the competition. Their routine featured a tribute to the Paris Games with a formation resembling the iconic Eiffel Tower.
On Aug 7, the team delivered a nearly flawless performance in its final routine, once again earning the highest score and setting a new benchmark in Chinese artistic swimming.
