Chinese young artistic swimmers make a splash at home World Cup

Hosts China won seven of 11 events with dominance at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, as the tournament concluded on Sunday.

Chinese swimmers secured the team acrobatic title in the final discipline, adding to a silver and bronze medal won earlier in the day.

As the reigning Olympic champions in both duet and team events, China have been in a transitional period since the 2024 Paris Olympics, with veteran and younger athletes working together.

Rising star Xu Huiyan, 19, has established herself as one to watch with exceptional technical skills and remarkable consistency. The teenager delivered a spectacular performance in the World Cup Super Final, claiming five gold medals from six events.

After winning the women's solo technical and duet technical over the previous two days, Xu took a bronze in the solo free on the final day and was also in China's winning line-up across three team events.

The tight schedule tested her endurance. "The intensity of this competition was quite high for me, with a packed schedule from morning till night," she revealed. "With better stamina, I could have controlled my movements and techniques more precisely and stayed more focused. But when my energy runs low, like today, it really affects my performance."

Her coach, Shen Yingsha, had initially been concerned about Xu's stamina, given this was her first time competing in multiple events," Her performance exceeded expectations," said Shen.

In the final, Vasilina Khandoshka scored 229.8476 to win the women's solo free, while Germany's Klara Bleyer came second in 227.5688. Xu placed third in 226.5251.

Having started artistic swimming at seven, Xu loves the sport, and has prepared extensively for next month's World Championships.

"During regular training, I practice for about eight to nine hours daily. If the session doesn't go well, I may extend it to 10 hours," she said.