Synchronized Swimming Olympiad table. Russia has one more Olympic gold in synchronized swimming and bronze in water polo. Duet: a fairy tale on the water

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

Synchronized swimming is one of the most attractive and spectacular sports. It is difficult to imagine what kind of effort it takes to prepare for a competition: athletes have to show real miracles on the water in order to achieve a prize place. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Russian synchronized swimmers managed to impress the jury with their choreographic skills, technical skill 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 find out about this by reading this article.

What is synchronized swimming?

Synchronized swimming is one of the many water sports. The main idea of ​​synchronized swimming is performance on the water accompanied by 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 complete 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 in performing a certain set of figures by the synchronized swimmers. In the long program, there are no restrictions at all: synchronized swimmers have the right to fully demonstrate their talents and training.

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

How did synchronized swimming come about?

Synchronized swimming was "invented" in the 1920s in Canada. At first, this sport was called “ballet on the water”. For the first time, it was decided to include synchronized swimming in the program of the Olympics in 1948: however, at that time it was just a demonstration competition. Synchronized swimming became a full-fledged Olympic discipline only in 1984, when singles and doubles 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 swimming" figures at the Thames. This performance is considered by many sports historians to be the starting point of modern synchronized swimming. By the way, Franklin's name can be seen in the International Swimming Hall of Fame: the President of the United States has done a lot to popularize water sports.

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 amazing 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 Los Angeles Olympics in response to the boycott of the 1981 Soviet Olympics.

After the Soviet Union ceased to exist, the Russian synchronized swimming school continued to develop. The national team won its first victory at the Olympics in 1998 in Australia. Since then, our team has invariably won victories at all the Olympiads held. 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

Synchronized athletes have a hard time. After all, they need not only to perfectly master the choreography and learn to feel the music, as well as to work perfectly in a team, but also to endure quite impressive loads.

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

Sometimes athletes have to be under water for several minutes. Therefore, in order not to accidentally inhale water, special clips on the nose are used.

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

Russian synchronized swimmers in Rio: a clear victory

The synchronized swimming team from Russia in 2016 managed to confidently take first place. The second place was won by the Chinese athletes, the third place was taken by the team from Japan.

No wonder 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 that ever existed. 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 would be able to bypass the Russian athletes, tears of relief were replaced by tears of joy.

Poor conditions are not a hindrance to victory!

Unfortunately, the victory could have been hampered by poor conditions: the synchronized swimmers noted that the water quality 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.

On top of 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 water, which, moreover, emits a rather unpleasant odor.

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 Russian women.

Duet: a fairy tale on the water

At the synchronized swimming competition, a duet from Russia in 2016 had to perform under the seventh numbers of the start protocol. Fortunately, the pool at the time of the performance was clean and there was no obstacle on the way to victory.

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

"Plea": emotional program of Russian synchronized swimmers

Even rivals could not fail to note the beauty and refinement of the Russian program. The American synchronized swimming team in its official account congratulated the athletes, 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 head coach of the team, Tatiana Pokrovskaya, said in an interview that the program was being 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.

The synchrists themselves chose the right music, and as a result, they managed to create a performance during which it literally takes your breath away. One cannot fail to note the thoughtful images of the athletes: the girls' swimsuits were depicted with snow-white angel wings, and they really seemed to fly over the water, performing the most complex synchronous ligaments.

It was possible to surprise the whole world at the synchronized swimming competition in Russia in 2016: the video with the performance of the athletes received a huge number of views and admiring comments from all over the world.

Real fighters

However, the coach of the national team admits that before the performance she experienced the strongest anxiety, because it can never be ruled out that the performance will not go as we would like. The most difficult moment in the performance of the Russian team was the double support helicopter. Tatyana Pokrovskaya noted that it was not possible to fulfill this element for a solid five, but the athletes deserved it. 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 the first.

Olympic 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, because they tried to prevent the Russian national team from participating in the Olympics due to the outbreak of a doping scandal. Nevertheless, representatives of the International Swimming Federation stated that they have no complaints about the synchronized swimmers from Russia, so they were admitted to the games in full force.

Of course, there was an opportunity to cross out several years of training and not get into 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 but frighten the athletes. The girls reported that they were afraid of provocations: some were even afraid to drink and eat, so as not to accidentally take "doping"! However, nothing of the kind, fortunately, happened. Beautiful mermaids managed to bypass all the pitfalls and get the well-deserved gold.

However, who knows: maybe the performance would have turned out to be even brighter if the athletes had not spent so much energy worrying about a possible non-admission to the Olympics?

Fun Facts: Perfect Looks

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

Interestingly, the hairstyle is fixed not only with ordinary hairspray, but also with edible gelatin, which "tightly" sticks the hair together. But the most common cosmetics are used. True, synchronized swimmers have to give up mascara: even the most "waterproof" will flow under water. The nose clip is additionally secured with medical glue: otherwise, it may fly off during the performance.

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

Russian synchronized swimmers group consisting of Vlada Chigireva, Svetlana Kolesnichenko, Elena Prokofieva, Alla Shishkina, Alexandra Patskevich, Maria Shurochkina and five-time Olympic champions Natalia Ischenko and Svetlana Romashina won another highest Games title in Rio.

Elena VAYTSEKHOVSKAYA
from the Olympic Park

Frankly, I could not believe my eyes. She even deliberately hesitated on the steps of the podium, sideways looking at the accreditation of a dry Japanese man, followed by a whole retinue of young guys. The accreditation indicated: Kazuhito Sakae, coach.

The coach made his way into the middle of the podium, bowing slightly at each step towards those who could be disturbed by their movements, and sat down with decorum, folded his hands on his knees. It was hard to believe that just two days ago it was this man who was trampling on a wrestling carpet with his feet, knocking out a triumphant beat from its surface, as if from a giant tambourine, and then just as triumphantly performed a kind of circle of honor, sitting, according to the ancient Japanese tradition, on the shoulders of a student, to the country that brought the gold medal and the honor to the coach.

Two athletes from Sakae acted as golden "horses" that day: first Sara Doso, who won Natalia Vorobyova in the final, then Kaori Icho, who won the fourth Olympic gold in her career. Now, watching the coach, reverently gazing at the still calm water, I remembered the story I once heard that the Japanese love to admire what is beyond the comprehension of a mere mortal. The exquisite beauty and destructive grandeur of nature, carefully preserved masterpieces of painting and architecture, the impeccable bodies of outstanding Olympic athletes and the strength of their spirit raised to a superlative degree.

Group synchronized swimming fit into this list as well as possible. Not to mention the fact that one of the contenders for the medal that day was the Land of the Rising Sun.

SUBJECTIVE FACTORS

I wonder if Katsuhito asked himself the question that invariably arises in any person who first saw the synchronized swimmers: "How do they do it?" I think it's pointless to look for an answer. In the same way, it is absolutely impossible to understand, without knowing all the intricacies of the rules, why some win and others lose.

The nature of the misunderstanding is simple: only specialists, people who have lived their lives in synchronized swimming, immediately understand how monstrously difficult, and sometimes scary, to work in water just a couple of centimeters closer to each other than others do. How many hundreds of hours of work can it take to raise the height of emissions and supports by the same couple of centimeters?

But nothing of this can be seen from the stands. The only criterion available to the average viewer is overall impression. And here only subjective criteria come into play: personal preferences in music, in choreographic styles, in the color and style of swimwear, finally. There can always be someone whose "bitch in exactly the same color dress" took her husband away from the family.

The most dangerous thing is that such addictions, albeit to a lesser extent, extend to those who sit at the referee's tables. And this means that with equal rivalry, it is impossible to exclude the influence on the result of purely subjective factors, taste. If you intend to win, it means that your advantage should be global. Categorical. Final and undeniable.

THE STEADY SOLDIER

That is, in fact, the answer to the question of why the Russian team is better than the rest. Everyone. Almost two points of separation from the Chinese team that won silver and almost four from the “bronze” Japanese women were eloquent confirmation of this.

This is all Tatyana Nikolaevna ...

Masha Shurochkina, who won her first Olympic medal in Rio, did not seem to even know how to react to the fact that everything was suddenly over: work, tears, the endless scream of the coach at the endless training camp. She stood in confusion in the mixed zone and spoke, as if answering herself:

Well, how not to shout at us? Still, a group is very difficult and responsible. Everything that we have shown here - both the performance, and the marks, and the medal - is to a great extent the merit of Tatyana Nikolaevna. It's scary to even think that she would suddenly stop training us ...

It will be necessary to somehow calculate how many medals of the Olympics and world championships have accumulated on the account of Tatyana Pokrovskaya since she became the head of the national team in 1998. Shurochkina has seven of these medals, including the Olympic one. Six won at the World Championships as a group. That is, it’s not even a fact that one of the fans will recognize the athlete by sight if they happen to meet. A steadfast soldier, flying out at the very beginning of the combination to an unimaginable height and rapidly screwing into somersaults and screws - this is Masha.

IN THE PLANE AND HOME

Nearby in the same mixed zone - Svetlana Romashina... Eighteen-time world champion, five-time Olympic champion. She stands in front of the cameras and you can clearly see that she is shaking from fatigue. "And they say the Olympics is a holiday," I say aloud and hear in response:

Here! That’s what I’m thinking about now. It was always terribly interesting: who could have ever thought of such a thing? And after all, a lot of people sincerely believe that the Games are really a holiday. On the other hand, though, this is understandable. Those who come with pleasure to take part in a get-together, and not fight for medals, are always much more numerous, right?

- What do you feel now?

I want to go home. Get on the plane and go home. After the duet competition was over, it was terribly difficult to force myself to hold out for another two days. Come to the pool, jump into the water, wait for this final start. Unbearable. We have not seen almost anything in Brazil, and to be honest, I don’t want to. I would like to rest now ...

Perhaps these words were spinning in the minds of all athletes, without exception. And the trainers too. Looking at the scoreboard on which the names of the Russian champions burned, I recalled my last conversation with Pokrovskaya in Moscow. She somehow very casually talked about how much she wants these girls to be the first in Rio. That they hate her at times, and she knows it very well, but she is ready to carry this coaching cross for many more years. Indeed, it is for the sake of those whom she leads to the Olympic gold medal that she cannot afford to be kind, gentle, understanding. Because all her girls must reach this peak by all means, and for this they must not feel sorry for themselves or her.

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Olympic Games 2016. Synchronized swimming. August 19.
Groups. Free program. 1. RUSSIA - 99,1333 (Ishchenko, Kolesnichenko, Patskevich, Prokofiev, Romashin, Topilina, Chigirev, Shishkina, Shurochkina). 2. China - 97.3667. 3. Japan - 95.4333. 4.Ukraine - 93.1667. 5.Italy - 92.2667. 6. Brazil - 87.2000.
Final position. 1. RUSSIA - 196.1439. 2. China - 192.9841. 3. Japan - 189.2056. 4.Ukraine - 188.6080. 5.Italy - 183.3809. 6. Brazil - 171.9985.

(2 votes, average: 5,00 out of 5)

The athlete must be prepared for anything. It was with this motto that synchronized swimming Rio 2016. Only those who cannot lose took part in this Olympiad. The rules of defeat in a sport like synchronized swimming shouldn't exist at all. This is indicated not only by the bosses, the judges, but also by the athletes themselves. And this could be seen more than once.

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

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

Sometimes it is extremely difficult for some 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.

Real torture is carried out on athletes in synchronized swimming. It's all about doing workouts in a cold pool. It is by doing in such a pool that any workout will seem like a real torture. But if we talk about, then it was to participate in this Olympiad that athletes from Russia had to overcome such tortures.

This passage led to the fact that Russian girls have long become very strong, irresistible and self-confident. Nothing is beyond their reach.

• In addition, many athletes say that as soon as a person begins to feel sorry for himself, the body immediately begins to trigger the self-preservation mechanism. And such an athlete simply falls under the same line with the rest of the 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 do 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 approached the selection issue very seriously. Tatyana Danchenko said that it was rather difficult. First of all, it was not easy to cope with the worries about the fact that you might not be admitted to this Olympiad. It is in such situations that it becomes difficult to work, and it seems impossible to force yourself to do the results much better than the previous ones.

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

You need to be able to guess what will be a win-win. This applies to both the image and the correct pace. When comparing your performance to that of your opponent, you have to shine. It was all this that showed synchronized swimming group Rio 2016.

If we talk about China's performance at this Olympiad, then many thought about how the Chinese could 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 was liked the most by its program, then this is definitely Spain. Synchronized Swimming Rio 2016 also available on the internet.

It is about the photo and video of the 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 hard to believe my eyes. Every person who sees athletes at their performances has a question about how they manage to do all this? But there is no point in looking for such an answer. It is also impossible to understand why it is this athlete who wins the victory, and not that one?

This all happens due to the fact that the average viewer does not know all the rules and subtleties of synchronized swimming, therefore, evaluates it independently. 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 the performance.

• From the stands, ordinary spectators cannot understand this. The only thing the viewer can do is just tell about the general impression. But even the impression will be influenced by various factors. If a person does not like music, then the performance of the athletes itself will not seem so beautiful.

The Russian national synchronized swimming team for the fifth Olympics in a row did not leave the 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 invincible. The case when even rivals applaud. Only Russians can do that. Gracefully, beautifully, in one go: 3 minutes 52 seconds of unsurpassed grace and synchronicity.

A sensual and slightly sad program called "Plea" - a dance in the water about something very personal.

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

"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 ever," added OI-2016 synchronized swimming champion Natalya Ishchenko.

The stands shuddered every time our athletes demonstrated dizzying acrobatics high above the water.

"Despite the fact that I am on the surface of the water, all the main work still goes on below, because a lot depends on how the girls will be able to get together, concentrate and give their all for release or support," says the 2016 Olympic champion synchronized swimming Alexandra Patskevich.

“The well-coordinated work of the entire team, that's why we are a team,” continues OI-2016 synchronized swimming champion Alla Shishkina.

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

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

At the same time, almost half of our team at the Olympics for the first time, together with multiple champions - and for Svetlana Romashina and Natalya Ishchenko this is the fifth gold medal - newcomers also perform. And it seems that there is no need to worry about the future of synchronized swimming. The head coach of the team, Tatyana Pokrovskaya, was congratulated by representatives of other countries even before the official results were announced. With what labor and efforts Olympic gold is given, she knows like no one else.

“I’m just such a maximalist, a monster. Well, how to achieve a result in general? I don’t know. When eight or ten people are going to, you need to bring them to the same denominator. It's very difficult. Russian national synchronized swimming team Tatyana Pokrovskaya.

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

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

Tears like a river on the pedestal of happiness. The anthem of our country in the Olympic Rio was sung synchronously, together with the stands. All the time our synchronized swimmers performed in the stands, their relatives and friends supported them. Shurochkina Masha came to support her whole family, including her own sister, the famous singer Nyusha, who, not sparing her voice, shouted from emotions at the entire stadium.

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

"In addition to my sister, I also have a grandmother, mom, dad here. Honestly, my dad, this is the first competition he came to, and while doing sports, I very often think about what I want to show my dad how passionate I am about my matter, how important and serious it is, "says Olympic-2016 synchronized swimming champion Maria Shurochkina.

The representatives of Brazil delighted their fans not with a medal, but with an incendiary performance. Their dance about the Olympics to the sounds of a dizzying samba. Their dreams are to get even 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 someday we will become the same, ”says Maria Bruno, member of the Brazilian synchronized swimming team.