Olympics synchronized swimming August 14. Russia has another Olympic gold in synchronized swimming and bronze in water polo. Russian synchronized swimmers in Rio: a clear victory

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 the 2016 Olympic Games champion in synchronized swimming Alla Shishkina.

“Therefore, this program is very dear to Tatyana Nikolaevna and it was decided to leave it for Olympic Games, and this is probably best program for all times,” 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 Olympic 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 announcement official results. 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 we 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. Our country's anthem Olympic Rio they sang 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's whole family came to support Masha, 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 representatives of Brazil 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 someday we will become the same,” says Maria Bruno, a member of the Brazilian synchronized swimming team.

Olympics on First both day and night: 9 Olympic channels online.

On Friday, August 19, Russian synchronized swimmers won Olympic gold in group performances. The team consisting of Vlada Chigireva, Natalia Ishchenko, Svetlana Kolesnichenko, Alexandra Patskevich, Elena Prokofieva, Svetlana Romashina, Alla Shishkina, Maria Shurochkina and Gelena Topilina won the 13th gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Today, the video of the synchronized swimmers’ performance in Rio became a hit on the Runet.

Let us remind you that at the 2016 Olympics, synchronized swimming brought the Russian Federation its second gold; previously, a pair of our synchronized swimmers, Natalya Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina, became Olympic champions. Now they are two-time champions of the 2016 Games.

Synchronized swimming, 2016 Olympics, Russian team, video of the final

Performance of Russian synchronized swimmers at the Rio Olympics, video of the final. Source: Channel One.

Freestyle wrestling: Aniuar Geduev, silver

Aniuar Geduev won silver in freestyle wrestling up to 74 kg. In the fight for gold, he met with Iranian Hassan Yazdani. The wrestler’s personal trainer Alexey Gaziev told Gazeta.ru what this fight cost his protégé:

“In the previous fight for reaching the final, Aniuar received a deep cut. The doctors stopped the bleeding and sealed everything up, but during the decisive battle for the gold this cut opened. Blood began to flow heavily already in the first period.”

The mentor said that the bandage kept coming off, so the doctors had to bandage the athlete through the throat, and for the last two minutes of the fight Geduev could not breathe.

“And the doctor said that if the bleeding doesn’t stop now, they will remove it. We didn't even have a chance to tell that the bandage had strangled him. The doctors said unequivocally - either we bandage him or remove him from the competition. Aniuar’s left eye could hardly see after the first period, and the Iranian worked specifically for him. There was more pressure than in boxing,” said Alexey Gaziev.

2016 Olympics news, results

The Russian women's water polo team won bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. In the match for third place, the Russians beat the Hungarian team with a score of 7:6 (on penalties). The main time of the match ended with the score 12:12, and the Russians managed to equalize the score in the last minute of the fight.

In addition, Russian boxer Vitaly Dunaytsev lost in the semi-finals to the representative of Uzbekistan Fazliddin Gaibnazarov and received a bronze award in the weight category up to 64 kg. The Russian lost to Fazliddin Gaibnazarov by split decision (28:29, 29:28, 28:29).

Rio 2016, latest news

Also on Friday, the Russian women's handball team beat Norway and reached the final of the tournament at the Olympic Games in Rio, and the Russia-Brazil men's semi-final volleyball match ended in defeat for our team.

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 prize place. 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 to perform on the water under musical accompaniment 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 to perform on the water to the musical accompaniment of various complex figures. This type 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 training, but also 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 Soviet Union ceased to exist, the Russian synchronized swimming school 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 entire 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, demonstrating a very complex program in green water, which, moreover, produces quite a bad smell, it wouldn't be easy.

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 the wind was blowing strong wind, 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. 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 the fans were mesmerized by the stunning show, which was equally beautiful with artistic point vision as 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

Beauty and elegance Russian program Even the rivals couldn’t help but notice. The American synchronized swimming team official account congratulated the athletes, recognizing the undoubted superiority of Russian women 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 competitions in 2016: a video of the athletes’ performances collected huge amount 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 an 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, so as not to 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.

Religious reading: synchronized swimming Olympics 2016 final prayer to help our readers.

Olympics 2016: synchronized swimming (video) brought Russia another gold

In total, the 14th day of the Rio Olympics brought Russia four awards. In the medal standings of the 2016 Olympic Games, Russia is again in fifth place.

Synchronized swimming, 2016 Olympics, Russian team, video of the final

Performance of Russian synchronized swimmers at the Rio Olympics, video of the final. Source: Channel One.

Freestyle wrestling: Aniuar Geduev, silver

“In the previous fight for reaching the final, Aniuar received a deep cut. The doctors stopped the bleeding and sealed everything up, but during the decisive battle for the gold this cut opened. Blood began to flow heavily already in the first period.”

The mentor said that the bandage kept coming off, so the doctors had to bandage the athlete through the throat, and for the last two minutes of the fight Geduev could not breathe.

“And the doctor said that if the bleeding doesn’t stop now, they will remove it. We didn't even have a chance to tell that the bandage had strangled him. The doctors said unequivocally - either we bandage him or remove him from the competition. Aniuar’s left eye could hardly see after the first period, and the Iranian worked specifically for him. There was more pressure than in boxing,” said Alexey Gaziev.

2016 Olympics news, results

Rio 2016, latest news

Table of the medal standings of the 2016 Olympics, Rio

Olympics 2016, table of medals in Rio. Source: Yandex.

Name of the site owner: LLC “Business Quarter-Ekaterinburg”

Synchronized swimming Olympics 2016 group final: who won, watch online

Synchronized swimming Olympics 2016 group final: who won, watch online. The group synchronized swimming competitions have ended at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Girls from eight countries of the world presented their most beautiful programs. The outcome of today's competition was influenced not only by the performances of the free program, but also by the technical one, which took place the day before.

According to the results of the technical program, Russia took first place with a gap of 1.5 points. Russian synchronized swimmers performed their program “Rhythms of the City” better than anyone else and deservedly took first position. Synchronized swimmers from Japan took second place. And on the third are athletes from Italy.

Synchronized swimming Olympics 2016 group final: who won, watch online. Before the free program, the Russian synchronized swimmers said that they wanted to perform their program in such a way that it would make their coach Tatyana Pokrovskaya smile. The girls had a very difficult program, with many technically difficult elements. This program was called "Prayer". Going out to the pool, the girls prayed and crossed themselves.

Their performance was fantastic. The judges rated the Russians especially highly. The girls received 10 points from almost all the judges. The girls received 99.1333 points for their free program. According to the results of both programs, Russia won first place. Thus, Russian synchronized swimmers brought our country the 13th gold. In total, the Russian team has 46 medals.

Synchronized swimming Olympics 2016 group final: who won, watch online. In second place is the team from China with a total score of 192 points. The team from Japan is in third place with 189 points. Ukraine took only fourth place.

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Rio 2016

Synchronized swimming

Duets. Final

2. China 192.3688 (Xuechen Huang / Wenyan Sun)

3. Japan 188.0547 (Yukiko Inui / Risako Mitsui)

4. Ukraine 187.1358 (Lolita Ananasova / Anna Voloshina)

5. Spain 186.6357 (Ona Carbonel / Gemma Mengual)

6. Italy 182.8079 (Linda Cerruti / Costanza Ferro)

7. Canada 179.8916 (Jacqueline Simoneau / Karin Thomas)

8. France 174.2491 (Laure Auger / Margot Chretien)

9. USA 173.9945 (Anita Alvarez / Maria Queen)

10. Greece 171.8550 (Evangelia Papazoglou / Evangelia Platanioti)

11. Mexico 170.9935 (Karem Achach / Nuria Diosdado)

12. Austria 170.5970 (Anna-Maria Alexandri / Airini-Maria Alexandri)

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Synchronized swimming Rio 2016 watch: video of team performances, Russian gold medal

Synchronized swimming Rio 2016 watch: video of team performances, Russian gold medal. Russian synchronized swimmers brought the country its 13th gold medal in the team competition.

Let us note that since 2000, Russian women have traditionally taken gold at all Olympics, and in Rio everything happened exactly the same.

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XXXI Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro / Synchronized swimming / Groups / Free program / Final / + Awards / First HD

Experience: 8 years 3 months

Sport: Olympic Games

Date/Year of issue: 08/19/2016

Comment language: Russian

Commentators: N. Saprin and Weak Link

XXXI Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro

Synchronized swimming. Groups. Free program. Final

Arena: Maria Lenk Aquatic Center (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

The coach of the Russian synchronized swimming team, Tatyana Danchenko, spoke about the problems the team faced in Rio 2016, as well as about the competition at the Games.

– There was only one problem in Rio – with muddy water. Probably only synchronized swimmers can understand how terrible this is and how dangerous it is for athletes.

– The group does very “dense” work and a lot of intense leg movements. Take the last push into the splits: if you hit the crown with your heel, you can actually kill. So imagine what it’s like to change lanes when any landmarks disappear under water. As soon as one athlete turns a couple of degrees to the right, and another to the left, here she is - a ready-made injury, even a fracture.

Natasha Ishchenko is performing here with a bandaged leg for precisely this reason – she hit herself very hard during training. We didn’t even take a photo: even if there is a fracture, it’s better not to know about it until the end of the performance.

- What should I do? This is their job, which they chose for themselves and must be prepared for any situation. But the state of the water really stressed us out a lot. We are accustomed to completely different conditions.

- Do you think that Russian group Are there any serious competitors in Rio?

– I don’t see it yet. So far I only see that everyone, including the Chinese, watches all our performances very carefully to see what else they can borrow from us to get us,” Danchenko said. The poster was made by our Larka Croft Our children say. We share memories, both our own and those of our children!

It is not necessary to point out thanks NBA Media Guides 2001-2016 / NBA Guides 2001-2016 (237 editions) – http://sssr-rutracker.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5228094

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Video: 704×400 (1.76:1), 25 fps, XviD build 50

Audio: 48 kHz, MPEG Layer 3, 2 ch,

Olympic Games 2016. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Synchronized swimming. Women. Groups

1. Russia – 196.1439

2. China – 192.9841

3. Japan - 189, 2056.

And to those who did not go to competitions. Well, Akhedzhakova. Wow. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

Experience: 7 years 2 months

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

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

“Tatiana 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.

“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.

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 you achieve any results? Don't know. When eight or ten people gather, you need to bring them to the same denominator. It's very difficult. You won’t grow much spruce here,” says the head coach of the Russian 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.

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's whole family came to support Masha, 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 and worried. In general, it’s difficult to hold back tears when you watch a performance, because you are so worried, it’s so exciting. And when the girls finished, of course, I burst into tears. It’s no longer easy. These are tears of happiness. They performed amazingly,” singer Nyusha (Anna Shurochkina) shares her impressions.

“Besides 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 what I do, how important and serious it is,” says the Olympic champion. 2016 in synchronized swimming Maria Shurochkina.

Olympics on First both day and night: 9 Olympic channels online. Choose and see! >>

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

Elena VAITSEKHOVSKAYA
from the Olympic Park

Frankly, I couldn’t believe my eyes. She even deliberately hesitated on the steps of the podium, looking sideways at the accreditation of the skinny Japanese man, who was followed by a whole retinue of young guys. The accreditation stated: Kazuhito Sakae, coach.

The coach made his way to the middle of the podium, bowing slightly with each step towards those whom he might disturb with his movements, and sat down decorously, folding his hands on his knees. I couldn’t even believe that just two days ago this very man had frantically trampled the wrestling mat with his feet, knocking out a triumphant shot from its surface, as if from a giant tambourine, and then just as triumphantly made a kind of victory lap, sitting on the ancient Japanese tradition on the shoulders of the student who brought a gold medal to the country and honor to the coach.

Two Sakae athletes acted as the golden “horses” that day: first, Sara Doso, who won the final, Natalya Vorobyova, then Kaori Icho, who won the fourth Olympic gold in her career. Now, watching the coach, reverently looking at the surface of the still calm water, I remembered a story I had once heard about how the Japanese love to admire what is beyond the understanding 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 superlative power of their spirit.

Group synchronized swimming fit into this list perfectly. Not to mention that one of the contenders for a medal that day was the Land of the Rising Sun.

SUBJECTIVE FACTORS

I wonder if Katsuhito asked himself the question that invariably arises in anyone who sees synchronized swimmers for the first time: “How do they do it?” I think there is no point in looking for an answer. In the same way, it is completely impossible to understand, without knowing all the subtleties 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, understand offhand how monstrously difficult, and sometimes scary, it is to work in the water just a couple of centimeters closer to each other than others do. How many hundreds of hours of work can go into raising the height of emissions and supports by the same couple of centimeters?

But none of this is visible from the stands. The only criterion available to the average viewer is the overall impression. And here exclusively subjective criteria come into play: personal preferences in music, in choreographic styles, in the color and style of swimsuits, finally. There can always be someone whose “bitch in the exact same color dress” stole her husband from his family.

The most dangerous thing is that such biases, albeit to a lesser extent, also extend to those who sit at the judges’ tables. And this means that with equal competition, one cannot exclude the influence of purely subjective factors and taste on the result. If you intend to win, that means your advantage must be global. Categorical. Final and indisputable.

STEADY SOLDIER

Here, in fact, is the answer to the question of why the Russian team is better than the rest. Everyone. The gap of almost two points from the Chinese team that won silver and almost four from the “bronze” Japanese team was an eloquent confirmation of this.

This is all Tatyana Nikolaevna...

Masha Shurochkina, who won her first ever Olympic medal in Rio, didn’t seem to even know how to react to the fact that everything suddenly ended: work, tears, endless screaming from the coach at endless training camps. She stood confused in the mixed zone and said, as if answering to herself:

Well, how can you not yell at us? Still, a group is very difficult and responsible. Everything that we showed here - the production, the ratings, and the medal - is largely the merit of Tatyana Nikolaevna. It’s scary to even think that she will suddenly stop training us...

It will be necessary to somehow calculate how many Olympic and world championship medals Tatyana Pokrovskaya has accumulated since she took over the leadership of the national team in 1998. Shurochkina already has seven of these medals, including the Olympic medal. Six were won at world championships as part of a group. That is, it is not even a fact that any of the fans will recognize the athlete by sight if they happen to meet. The steadfast soldier, flying out at the very beginning of the combination to an unimaginable height and rapidly spinning into somersaults and spins - that’s her, Masha.

ON 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 it is clearly visible that she is swaying from fatigue. “They say the Olympics are a holiday,” I say out loud and hear in response:

Here! This is exactly what I'm thinking about now. It was always terribly interesting: who could even think of such a thing? And a lot of people sincerely believe that the Games are truly a holiday. Although on the other hand, this is understandable. There are always many more people who come with pleasure to take part in a party, and not to fight for medals, right?

- How do you feel now?

I want to go home. On the plane and home. After the duet competition ended, 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 saw almost nothing in Brazil, and frankly speaking, we don’t want to. I wish I could rest now...

Probably these words were spinning in the heads of all athletes without exception. And the coaches too. Looking at the scoreboard on which the names of the Russian champions were lit, I remembered my last conversation with Pokrovskaya in Moscow. She once very casually talked about how much she wanted these girls to be the first in Rio. That they hate her sometimes, and she knows this very well, but she is ready to carry this coaching cross for many more years. After all, it is precisely for the sake of those whom she is leading to the Olympic gold medal that she cannot allow herself to be kind, gentle, and understanding. Because all her girls must reach this peak at any cost, 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, Prokofieva, Romashina, Topilina, Chigireva, 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.