Russia has another Olympic gold in synchronized swimming and bronze in water polo.

At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Russian synchronized swimmers managed to impress the jury with their choreographic skills, technique and unsurpassed artistry and won gold

Synchronized swimming is one of the most attractive and spectacular sports. It’s hard to imagine how much effort it takes to prepare for competitions: athletes have to perform real miracles on the water in order to achieve a prize. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Russian synchronized swimmers managed to impress the jury with their choreographic skills, technical skills and unsurpassed artistry. But what are victories worth, and how do girls manage to achieve such impressive results? Was it easy to win gold again? You will learn about this by reading this article.

The main idea of ​​synchronized swimming is performance on the water to the musical accompaniment of various complex figures.

• 1 What is synchronized swimming?
• 2 How did synchronized swimming come about?
• 3 Development of synchronized swimming in Russia
• 4 Be a synchronized swimmer: basic requirements
• 5 Russian synchronized swimmers in Rio: a clear victory
• 6 Bad conditions are not an obstacle to victory!
• 7 Duet: a fairy tale on the water
• 8 “Prayer”: emotional program of Russian synchronized swimmers
• 9 Real fighters
• 10 Olympic scandals
• 11 Interesting facts: perfect appearance

What is synchronized swimming?

Synchronized swimming is one of the many water sports. The main idea of ​​synchronized swimming is performance on the water to the musical accompaniment of various complex figures. This sport is considered one of the most beautiful and spectacular, because it is important for athletes not only to be able to stay on the water for a long time and have remarkable physical fitness, but also to demonstrate grace and grace. In addition, you need to be able to control your own breathing, because to perform complex figures you need to be under water for quite a long time.

The competition includes two programs: technical and long. The technical part consists of synchronized swimmers performing a certain set of figures. In the long program, there are completely no restrictions: synchronized swimmers have the right to fully demonstrate their talents and training.

The rating system in this sport is similar to that adopted in figure skating. That is, both the artistry of the synchronized swimmers and the technique of performing the program are assessed.

This sport is considered one of the most beautiful and spectacular. How did synchronized swimming come about?

Synchronized swimming was “invented” in the 1920s in Canada. At first, this sport was called “water ballet.” For the first time, it was decided to include synchronized swimming in the Olympic program in 1948: however, at that time these were just exhibition competitions. Synchronized swimming became a full-fledged Olympic discipline only in 1984, when singles and pairs competitions in this beautiful sport took place at the games in Los Angeles.

Despite the fact that synchronized swimming is considered a purely female sport, one of its “founding fathers” is a man. During a trip to England, Benjamin Franklin demonstrated several "ornamental floating" figures in the Thames. It is this performance that many sports historians consider the starting point of modern synchronized swimming. By the way, Franklin’s name can be seen in the International Swimming Hall of Fame: the US President did a lot to popularize water sports.

Synchronized swimming became a full-fledged Olympic discipline only in 1984.

Development of synchronized swimming in Russia

Synchronized swimming appeared in Russia in the 1920s. Initially it was called “artistic swimming”. Synchronized swimmers performed not only in competitions, but also in the circus arena, amazing the audience with their talents and stunning acrobatic sketches on the water. By the way, the debut of Russian (at that time still Soviet) athletes was planned for 1984, but the performance did not take place due to the fact that the USSR boycotted the Olympics in Los Angeles in response to the boycott of the Soviet Olympics in 1981.

After the Soviet Union ceased to exist, the Russian school of synchronized swimming continued its development. The team won its first victory at the Olympics in 1998 in Australia. Since then, our team has consistently won victories at all the Olympics. The Russian team did not make mistakes for 16 years. This did not happen at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The Russian team did not make mistakes for 16 years. This did not happen at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Being a synchronized swimmer: basic requirements

It's not easy for synchronized swimmers. After all, they need to not only master choreography perfectly and learn to feel the music, as well as work perfectly in a team, but also endure quite impressive loads.

Each performance has a specific theme, which is expressed both by music and by the expressive movements of the girls. Athletes demonstrate various patterns on the water that replace each other, like in a kaleidoscope. The transition from one “picture” to another is carried out when the girls are under water or lying on their backs.

Sometimes athletes have to stay under water for several minutes. Therefore, in order to avoid accidentally inhaling water, special nose clips are used.

Athletes demonstrate various patterns on the water that replace each other, like in a kaleidoscope

Interesting! During competitions, powerful speakers are installed underwater, thanks to which synchronized swimmers hear music throughout their performance and achieve amazing synchronization in their movements.

Russian synchronized swimmers in Rio: a clear victory

The Russian synchronized swimming team managed to confidently take first place in 2016. The Chinese athletes managed to win second place, and the team from Japan took third place.

It is not surprising that the judges rated the program so highly. Natalya Ishchenko, a five-time synchronized swimming champion, said in an interview that the program in Rio was the best ever. The emotional intensity was so high that at the end of their performance the girls could not hold back their tears. Well, after the results were announced, and it became clear that no one could beat the Russian athletes, tears of relief gave way to tears of joy.

The synchronized swimming team from Russia managed to confidently take first place in 2016

Bad conditions are not an obstacle to victory!

Unfortunately, poor conditions could have prevented the victory: the synchronized swimmers noted that the quality of water in the Olympic pool left much to be desired. In Brazil, there are no swimming pools equipped with a heating system, so the Russian team had to compete in rather difficult conditions. In addition, the sides of the pool were not visible, which made it quite difficult for the athletes to navigate.

To top off all the problems, the water in the pool began to change color: in Rio it was even nicknamed “Shrek’s pool.” At first, the organizers diligently denied the obvious, but when the athletes began to actively express their indignation, the water had to be changed. Indeed, it would be difficult to demonstrate a very complex program in green-colored water, which, moreover, emits a rather unpleasant odor.

Synchronized swimming requires incredible endurance from athletes.

The water temperature also left much to be desired: if training takes place at a temperature of 28 degrees, then in the pool the water barely warmed up to 25. If we add that the air temperature was only 15 degrees and a strong wind was blowing, it becomes obvious that the victory was not easy for the Russians.

Duet: a fairy tale on the water

At the synchronized swimming competitions, the duo from Russia in 2016 had the opportunity to compete under the seventh starting number on the starting list. Fortunately, the pool was clean at the time of the performance and there were no obstacles on the way to victory.

It is worth noting that fans were mesmerized by a stunning show that was as artistically beautiful as it was technically perfect. No other duet could demonstrate such high tempo, synchronicity and coherence. As a result, the judges gave the girls two tens, and the total for both programs, technical and free, was as much as 195 points.

No other duet “Molba” could demonstrate such a high tempo, synchronicity and coherence: an emotional program of Russian synchronized swimmers

Even rivals could not help but notice the beauty and sophistication of the Russian program. The American synchronized swimming team congratulated the athletes on its official account, recognizing the undoubted superiority of the Russians in synchronized swimming.

This is not surprising, because the emotional program called “Prayer,” which delighted both the audience and the judges, has its own story.

The team's head coach, Tatyana Pokrovskaya, said in an interview that the program was created during a difficult period. At the age of fifteen, Tatyana’s granddaughter passed away. And under the influence of these experiences, a performance that was stunning in its depth and emotionality was created.

Even rivals could not help but notice the beauty and sophistication of the Russian program

The synchronized dancers themselves selected the appropriate music, and as a result, they managed to create a performance that literally takes your breath away. One cannot fail to note the thoughtful images of the athletes: the girls’ swimsuits had snow-white angel wings depicted on them, and they really seemed to be flying over the water, performing the most complex synchronized movements.

We managed to surprise the whole world at the Russian synchronized swimming competition in 2016: the video of the athletes’ performances collected a huge number of views and admiring comments from all over the world.

Real fighters

Despite all the difficulties, the girls managed to beat their rivals at the 2016 Olympics: synchronized swimming in Russia is still at the highest level.

However, the national team coach admits that she experienced extreme anxiety before the performance, because it can never be ruled out that the performance will not go as desired. The most difficult moment in the Russian team’s performance was the double helicopter support. Tatyana Pokrovskaya noted that it was not possible to complete this element with a solid A, but the athletes fully deserved a B. The coach explains this by fatigue and emotional stress. In addition, the duet of Svetlana Romashina and Natalya Ishchenko performed at the Olympics without rest, and for many members of the national team the Olympics in Rio was their first.

Despite all the difficulties, the girls managed to beat their rivals at the 2016 Olympics: synchronized swimming in Russia is still at the highest levelOlympic scandals

The duet of Russian synchronized swimmers Svetlana Romashina and Natalya Ishchenko brought Olympic gold. It was these athletes who were entrusted to carry the Russian flag at the closing of the Olympics in Rio.

However, the joy of victory might not have been there, because they tried to prevent the Russian team from participating in the Olympics due to the doping scandal that had broken out. Nevertheless, representatives of the International Swimming Federation stated that they had no complaints against the synchronized swimmers from Russia, so they were allowed to participate in the games in full force.

Of course, there was the opportunity to undo several years of training and not get to the synchronized swimming competition in Rio 2016: Russia was on the “black list” of the International Anti-Doping Committee. Of course, this fact could not help but frighten the athletes. The girls reported that they were afraid of provocations: some were even afraid to drink and eat, lest they accidentally take “doping”! However, fortunately, nothing like this happened. The beautiful mermaids managed to avoid all the pitfalls and get the well-deserved gold.

The duet of Russian synchronized swimmers Svetlana Romashina and Natalia Ishchenko brought Olympic gold

However, who knows: maybe the performance would have been even brighter if the athletes had not spent so much energy worrying about possible exclusion from the Olympics?

Interesting facts: perfect appearance

Many people are interested in the question: how do synchronized swimmers manage to maintain their makeup and hair while performing complex underwater stunts?

Interestingly, the hairstyle is fixed not only with regular hairspray, but also with edible gelatin, which “tightly” glues the hair together. But the most common cosmetics are used. True, synchronized swimmers have to refuse mascara: even the most “waterproof” one will run under water. The nose clip is additionally secured with medical glue: otherwise it may fall off during the performance.

Interestingly, the hairstyle is fixed not only with regular hairspray, but also with edible gelatin, which “tightly” glues the hair together. But the most common cosmetics are used

Russian athletes once again managed to prove to the whole world their highest qualifications. There is no doubt that the performances of the national team will serve as an example for synchronized swimmers around the world for many years to come.

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An athlete must be ready for anything. It was with this motto that what happened synchronized swimming Rio 2016. Only those who cannot lose took part in this Olympiad. Rules for defeat in a sport like synchronized swimming should not exist at all. This is said not only by the authorities, the judges, but also by the athletes themselves. And this could be seen more than once.

When the word “loss” does not initially exist for a person, this has a very positive effect on the athlete himself and on his attitude towards sports, in general. This has been confirmed more than once by the participants themselves. For example, we recently interviewed Michael Phelps, who is a twenty-three-time Olympic champion.

He talked about how his body only gets what it needs. I started eating healthy and stopped drinking alcohol. Have you ever had to go on a diet? I know, it's hard. Now imagine that you live like this all your life.

Synchronized Swimming Championships in Rio 2016

Sometimes it is extremely difficult for some people to give up goodies even for a couple of weeks, let alone months. But those who were able to do this really deserve to be respected. We must sacrifice something in order to achieve great results in the future.

Synchronized swimming athletes are subjected to real torture. It's all about training in a cold pool. Exercising in such a pool will make any workout seem like real torture. But if we talk about, then it was precisely in order to participate in this Olympics that athletes from Russia had to overcome such torture.

Pool and torture before the synchronized swimming championship

Such a passage has led to the fact that Russian girls have long become very strong, irresistible and self-confident. Nothing is out of reach for them.

• In addition, many athletes say that as soon as a person begins to feel sorry for himself, the body immediately begins to launch a self-preservation mechanism. And such an athlete simply falls under the same category as other athletes.

If you want to be the first, you need to constantly force yourself to go forward and do the impossible. Not long ago before Rio 2016 synchronized swimming finals one coach was interviewed in which he said that the Chinese really have a lot to learn. Although they cannot come up with something of their own, unique, they can very cleverly repeat something else. They have no equal in the art of copying.

Synchronized swimming Rio 2016 Russia group took the selection issue very seriously. Tatyana Danchenko said that it was quite difficult. First of all, it was not easy to cope with the worries that you might not be allowed to participate in this Olympiad. It is in such situations that work becomes difficult, and forcing yourself to produce results much better than previous ones seems impossible.

Selection for the Russian Synchronized Swimming Championship

In synchronized swimming you never know what your opponent will show. This applies to absolutely everything, from the performance program to costumes. But all you have to do is seem one step ahead, no matter what.

You need to be able to guess what will be a win-win. This applies to both image and proper pacing. When comparing your performance to that of your opponent, you must shine. This is exactly what showed synchronized swimming group Rio 2016.

World Synchronized Swimming Championships in Rio

If we talk about China’s performance at this Olympics, many thought about how the Chinese would be able to surprise and conquer everyone. But they decided to take last year's programs. As for the technical program, it was new, and the implementation of some elements was very good. But if we talk about which country I liked the most for its program, then it’s definitely Spain. Synchronized swimming Rio 2016 also available on the Internet.

We're talking about photography and video of synchronized swimming finals Rio 2016.

In addition, there is a list on the Internet Synchronized swimming Rio 2016 group final.

What can I say about the Rio Olympics? Honestly, it was very difficult to believe my eyes. Every person who sees female athletes performing has a question about how they manage to do it all? But there is no point in looking for such an answer. It is also impossible to understand why it is this athlete who wins and not that one?

Interview with Elena Vaitsekhovskaya

This all happens due to the fact that the average spectator does not know all the rules and subtleties of synchronized swimming, so he evaluates it on his own. Only a person who has dedicated himself to synchronized swimming will be able to understand how difficult it is to perform various combinations and elements, how hard it is to work in the water and try to do everything to the point. How much time and effort does an athlete spend in order for the audience to look at him for just a couple of minutes of his performance?

• Ordinary spectators cannot understand this from the stands. The only thing the viewer can do is simply talk about the general impression. But even the impression will be influenced by various factors. If a person doesn’t like music, then the athletes’ performance itself will not seem so beautiful.

A competition that can be called water dancing is synchronized swimming. Traditionally, the Olympics assume that only women, but not men, participate in the discipline. Athletes perform various tricks in the water and demonstrate figures to the music. This is a difficult sport where participants are required to have perfect breathing control and excellent water choreographic skills.

Participants in synchronized swimming competitions

During the competition, athletes perform technical and free programs. A technical program is a set of figures that commands must execute. The free program does not have strict restrictions; it is also called long, as it is more reminiscent of a dance. Judges evaluate performances based on the athletes' technique and artistry. The jury is divided into two groups so that opinions on technique and artistry do not mix with each other and do not influence each other.

You can perform alone or in a group; medals are also awarded to the best in single and group competition.

104 people from different countries compete in this discipline. Only one group and only one duet can be nominated from each country, but there can be no more than 9 of them together.

Selection for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was based on the results of qualifying tournaments:

• European Synchronized Swimming Cup 2015;
• Pan American Games 2015;
• 2015 World Championship (Asian countries qualified for it);
• Olympic qualification competitions - for Africa, Oceania.

Each competition for the Olympics is a qualifying tournament.

As host, Brazil secured a spot in both sports disciplines.

Athletes born after December 31, 2001 are not allowed to participate in the Olympics.

The disciplines for those involved in synchronized swimming are pairs and group performances.

Synchronized swimming competition calendar

Competition schedule:

• August 14: women's duets, free program;
• August 15: women's duets, technical program;
• August 16: women's duets, final;
• August 18: women's groups, technical program;
• August 19: women's groups, competition finals.

The competition will take place at the Aquatic Center named after. Maria Lenk. The capacity of the site is 8 thousand people.

This sport was first added to the Summer Games program in 1984, at the Olympics in America. The synchronized swimming program did not immediately take on this form. At first, within its framework, participants competed solo and in pairs. Singles competitions were dropped in 1996 and group competitions were later added. Two sets of medals between groups and duets began to be awarded in 2000. Russia is traditionally one of the leaders in synchronized swimming.

The Russian synchronized swimming team, for the fifth Olympics in a row, did not leave its rivals a single chance for gold medals. Tonight we were all given a holiday: again Natalya Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina, already champions of Rio, contributed to a new victory.

The stadium froze. Top class from the invincibles. This is the case when even your rivals applaud. Only Russians can do this. Graceful, beautiful, in one breath: 3 minutes 52 seconds of unsurpassed grace and synchronicity.

A sensual and slightly sad program called “Prayer” - a dance in water about a very personal thing.

“Tatyana Nikolaevna had a tragedy in her family, and against the backdrop of these emotions, the program was staged,” said 2016 Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Alla Shishkina.

“Therefore, this program is very dear to Tatyana Nikolaevna and it was decided to leave it for the Olympic Games, and this is probably the best program of all time,” added 2016 Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Natalya Ishchenko.

The stands shook every time our athletes demonstrated breathtaking acrobatics high above the water.

“Despite the fact that I am on the surface of the water, all the main work still happens below, because a lot depends on how the girls can gather themselves, concentrate and give their all to throw or support,” says the 2016 Olympics champion synchronized swimming Alexandra Patskevich.

“It’s the coordinated work of the whole team, that’s why we are a team,” continues the 2016 Olympic Games champion in synchronized swimming Alla Shishkina.

Their closest rivals are very far from them: the silver medalists, representatives of China, are almost two points behind. Japan has bronze.

Our girls once again proved: Russia is the strongest power in synchronized swimming. For 16 years in a row, since the Olympics in Atlanta, at five games no one except our athletes has won gold medals. The foreign press calls what is happening “Russian hegemony.” Russians have no equal in both Olympic disciplines: duet and team competition.

At the same time, almost half of our team is at the Olympics for the first time, along with multiple champions - and for Svetlana Romashina and Natalya Ishchenko this is already the fifth gold medal - and newcomers are also performing. And it seems there is no need to worry about the future of synchronized swimming. Representatives from other countries began congratulating the team's head coach Tatyana Pokrovskaya even before the official results were announced. She knows better than anyone how hard and effort it takes to win Olympic gold.

“I’m just such a maximalist, a monster. Well, how can I achieve results? I don’t know. When eight or ten people gather, you need to bring them to the same denominator. It’s very difficult. You can’t really make a fuss here,” says the head coach Russian national synchronized swimming team Tatyana Pokrovskaya.

“Russian mermaids,” as fans call them, and judging by how much time they spend in the water, the metaphor is accurate.

“We train six days a week, about eleven days a week, ten hours a day, practically without a break. Yes, it’s very hard work,” says 2016 Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Svetlana Kolesnichenko.

Tears flow like a river on the pedestal with happiness. The anthem of our country in Olympic Rio was sung synchronously, along with the stands. Throughout the entire performance of our synchronized swimmers, their relatives and friends were cheering for them in the stands. Shurochka Masha’s whole family came to support her, including her sister, the famous singer Nyusha, who, without sparing her voice, screamed with emotion throughout the entire stadium.

“Of course, I was very worried, worried. In general, it’s difficult to hold back tears when you watch a performance, because you are so worried, so excited. And when the girls finished, of course, I burst into tears. It’s just impossible. These are tears of happiness. They are amazing performed,” singer Nyusha (Anna Shurochkina) shares her impressions.

“In addition to my sister, I also have a grandmother, mother, and father here. Honestly, my dad, this is the first competition he came to, and while playing sports, I very often think about how I want to show my dad how passionate I am about my matter, how important and serious this is,” says 2016 Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Maria Shurochkina.

The Brazilian representatives pleased their fans not with a medal, but with a fiery performance. Their dance about the Olympics to the sounds of dizzying samba. Their dreams are to at least get a little closer to the level of “Russian mermaids”.

“I have no words, they are amazing, they are the best in the world. We look up to them. Their numbers are very difficult, but I hope that one day we will become the same,” says Maria Bruno, a member of the Brazilian synchronized swimming team.

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