World's best synchro teams to contest last London berths

With the level of talent both Russia and Spain are bringing to London for the Synchronised Swimming Olympic Games Qualification Tournament, the event, which gathers a total 34 countries from April 18-22, is guaranteed to be top class.

If Olympic champion Russia and silver-medallist Spain will easily secure a London berth, the battle for the minor medal and thus remaining Olympic spot, will play out between former powers Japan and USA, and recent sensation in the sport Ukraine.

Having locked up the duet and team titles since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Russia will most certainly be seeking a record fourth straight title in both events in London this summer. The roster includes three veterans from the Athens and Beijing Olympics: Anastasia Davydova, Maria Gromova and Elvira Khasyanova. The squad is also reinforced by the presence of duet World champions Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina. No others have come close to matching the tallies of legendary Davydova and Ishchenko, each owner of 17 Olympic and World Championships gold medals. As for Spain, they picked up their first piece of Olympic silverware in both duet and team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Currently fifth in the synchro world hierarchy, then-dominant Japan is the only nation to have medalled in every Olympics since the sport was introduced at the 1984 Los Angeles Games (but never won gold) while the United States missed the podium for the first time in Beijing. Both teams have been through a rebuilding phase since then and will bring a brand new team to London. The stake is no small undertaking for the traditional synchro powerhouses which try to regain a spot at the top.

World number 2 China, Australia and Egypt already booked their ticket, using the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai as their qualification tournament for the London Olympic Games. Canada qualified for the Americas through the Pan American Games in Guadalajara (MEX) last October while host Great Britain automatically qualifies for Europe.

The three teams to climb the podium will book a ticket for the team event at the London Olympic Games. In the duet competition, two rounds will take place with the first qualifying 20 duets as follows: continental qualifiers, duets with a team and the next ranked duets (up to 20). The second round will qualify the four highest-ranked duets.

At the Olympic Games, two events are contested - duet and team - with an overall six medals on offer. The classification is done by combining the scores of the technical and free routines.

The Qualification Tournament, which takes place at the Aquatics Centre, the venue for the 2012 London Olympic Games, will also serve as a Test Event.