China pick up 3 more golds at Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final

China showcased commanding form at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Saturday, claiming gold medals in the men's solo free, women's duet free, and team free events. Spain prevented a complete Chinese triumph by prevailing in the mixed duet technical – the sole discipline to elude the home side's grasp.

China executed a phenomenal performance to the theme of "Gravitation," earning 324.3538 points to win team free gold. Japan took silver with 310.0788, while Spain picked up bronze with 308.4859.

China coach Zhang Xiaohuan cried tears of joy after her squad's victory.

"This gold lifts a huge weight off our shoulders," she admitted. "Chang Hao was injured during training and she showed incredible grit to compete through injury, and while our new routine still needs refinement, the team's courage under pressure was extraordinary."

"The team executed the routine with remarkable composure, just like in our daily training sessions. Today we delivered it steady and clean," Chang said. "My neck rotation is still slightly [limited], so I'll need treatment tonight. For tomorrow, our focus is hitting every lift perfectly."

Twin sisters Lin Yanjun and Lin Yanhan won the duet free title with a series of powerful movements that netted 266.1442 points. Spain's Lilou Lluis Valette and Iris Tio Casas came in second with 260.9325, while newly-paired Japanese duo Uta Kobayashi and Tomoka Sato finished third.

"We lost to Spain last time, but we performed very well today, though we still have lots of details to improve," Lin Yanhan said.

Despite the victory, Zhang remained cautious about China's prospects at the upcoming World Championships and 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

"Strong contenders like Austria, the Netherlands, and Great Britain all have world-class duet pairs," Zhang noted. "And we can never underestimate Russia."

China's 17-year-old Guo Muye ended the day with a gold and a silver, first clinching the men's solo free title, before joining forces with Guo Sitong to seal mixed duet technical runner-up honors.

Spain's Dennis Gonzalez and Mireia Hernandez won the mixed duet technical title with 219.7700 points, more than six points higher than China's second-placed duo of Guo. Great Britain's Isabelle Thorpe and Ranjuo Tomblin placed third.

"These World Cup competitions are crucial for us – they're making us sharper for the World Championships. After feeling strong at last week's European Championships, we're aiming to replicate that form here," said Gonzalez, the men's solo free winner at the 2023 World Championships. Spain had dominated last week's European Championships with five gold medals.

"The Chinese duo are very young and talented," Hernandez added. "We will have good competition at the World Championships."

The World Cup Super Final will conclude on Sunday with the women's solo free, mixed duet free, and team aerobatics competitions.