FINA Newsletter from Barcelona #4

Poliana Okimoto Cintra (BRA) and Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA) signaled Brazil's intentions to be the faces of women's open water swimming in the lead up to the next Olympic Games. Okimoto Cintra (1:58.19.2) touched just three tenths of a second ahead of her teammate (1:58.19.5) in the women's 10km race. Angela Maurer of Germany (1:58.20.2) finished a full second behind the winner to claim a bronze medal. For the Brazilian swimmers it was second medal for each at these World Championships. Okimoto Cintra finished second to Haley Anderson (USA) in Saturday's 5km race, Cunha earned a bronze medal in that race.

"I'm so excited. I have been training for this medal, even in freezing water, I have trained for this race, so this medal is pricelss. I am really happy to have my second medal in these World Championships. I felt strong during the race," said Okimoto Cintra. Okimoto Cintra won two silver medals in 5km and 10km at the 2006 FINA Open Water World Championships in Naples, Italy.

Her teammate said: "It's amazing to win two medals in these World Championships. It shows that Brazil is doing serious work. Two years ago in Shanghai I finished in 11th position and I was unable to compete in the Olympic Games. I watched the Olympics on TV. I went to work and I improved a lot. Today I am the second best open water swimmer in the world, just behind another Brazilian athlete. In the 2015 Kazan World Championships I want to be in the first 10 positions so that I can be at the Olympics in my country. I need to relax for a few days before the 25km on Saturday."

Double Olympic champion Kai Qin clinched an unprecedented fourth successive men's 3m synchro springboard gold, triumphing with new partner Chong He, himself a former winner of the event, and maintaining China's winning ways at the FINA World Championships.The victory was China's fifth in six diving finals so far contested in the Montjuic Municipal Pool and the second of the day, following Zi He's narrow win over Italy's Tania Cagnotto in the women's 1m springboard final. Qin and He led throughout to amass 448.86 points and win by 20.85 points but it was not an entirely straightforward victory on a day when none of the pairs was immune from error.

Russia's Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilia Zakharov, silver medallists behind Qin and Yutong Luo at the 2011 Worlds and 2012 Olympics, had to settle for silver again (428.01), while Mexicans Jahir Ocampo and Rommel Pacheco proved steadier than some of their more fancied rivals to take bronze (422,79). Zakharov, who beat Qin and He for the 3m individual gold at the 2012 Olympics, and Kuznetsov were seeking to emulate fellow countrymen Alexander Dobroskok and Dmitry Sautin, the only non-Chinese duo to win the event when they prevailed in 2003. But they could not prevent the Chinese from making it seven wins in eight editions of the World Championships.

Zi He, an Olympic gold medallist last year, reclaimed the women's world 1m springboard  title in a desperately close duel with European champion Tania Cagnotto, overtaking the Italian on the last dive of the finalto win by just one-tenth of a point, the smallest margin in any diving event in the history of the World Championships. Cagnotto, who led through three of the five rounds of dives, could not have come closer in her bid to scoop Italy's first World Championship diving gold in 38 years since Klaus Dibiasi won the men's 10m title at the first two editions in 1973 and 1975.

Cagnotto, silver medallist in the 3m synchro springboard at these championships, was poised tantalisingly close to gold, having led at the end of the penultimate round by five points, but saw it snatched away by He, who unfurled the highest score of the final with a reverse 1-1/2 somersaults and 1-1/2 twists which earned her 66.30 points.That sealed China's fourth title out of five thus far contested in Barcelona, He winning with 307.10 points, with Cagnotto having to settle for silver on 307.00 and He's Chinese team-mate Han Wang, who collected the bronze in 2009 and silver in 2011, taking bronze on 297.75.

As Olympic bronze medallist it might be said that Australia would never cause an upset, but this is what transpired in day-two action at the FINA Women’s Water Polo World Championships at the Bernat Picornell Pool.

Australia came back from 5-4 down to thrash recently crowned FINA World League champion China 14-5 in what was a display of pressure defence, power shooting and general aggression.

The all-round effort made everyone sit up while a dejected China, a day-one winner over South Africa, will now shoot for second spot in Group B. Australia now needs to defeat South Africa, who lost to New Zealand 14-7 in the day’s first match, to win the group.

In Group A action in the evening, Netherlands posted a world record 30-3 win over Uzbekistan, who were also part of the previous record. Host Spain, the Olympic silver medallist, fell to Russia 7-6 who have two wins in what is one of the toughest two groups.

In Group C, star centre forward Alexandra Asimaki steered Greece to a 13-7 victory over Great Britain, scoring five goals. The United States of America gained a second win with a 10-8 win over neighbour Canada despite allowing Canada to score five of the last six goals.

In Group D, Kazakhstan gained a first win, defeating Brazil 9-5. Hungary then made progression in the tournament harder for Italy with a 10-4 margin. Rita Keszthelyi added four more goals to her five from the opening day and Barbara Bujka scored four for a total of seven.

Points after day two:

Group A: RUS 4, ESP 2, NED 2, UZB 0.
Group B: AUS 4, CHN 2, NZL 2, RSA 0.
Group C: USA 4, CAN 2, GRE 2, GBR 0.
Group D: HUN 4, KAZ 2, ITA 2, BRA 0.