It could not be. The competitors made it very difficult and the Spanish artistic swimming team was left off the podium in the free team final of the Doha World Cup. The Spanish team obtained fourth position (302,822), only two points behind the bronze medalist, the United States (304,902). The silver went to Japan (315,222) and the gold, to an undisputed China (339,760). Although the Spanish could not win a medal as they did in the technical exercise, the result obtained served to definitively qualify for the Paris Games.
The team led by Mayuko Fujiki repeated the same choreography from last year at the Aspire Dome, based on the Disney animated film Aladdin. It was a very well-worked acrobatic routine, an impeccable exercise that was not weighed down by the errors (basemarks) that harmed Spain in Fukuoka. However, the performance was not enough to overcome the powerful and clean exercises of the opponents and, above all, of a China that revalidated its title as champion.
The Spanish team, which acted after the United States, presented some changes to its starting eight. Berta Farreras and Cristina Arámbula, absent in the technical exercise, replaced Lilou Lluis and Blanca Toledano. The set was completed by Marina García Polo, Meritxell Mas, Paula Ramírez, Sara Saldaña, Alisa Ozhogina and Iris Tió.
With fourth place, the Spanish record from Doha remains the same: five medals. Fujiki’s team won the silver in technical equipment this Tuesday and Dennis González was the last to get the metal, crowned runner-up in the world in the free solo thanks to a brilliant performance that he executed without any penalty. The couple formed by Nicolás García Boissier and Adrián Abadía made history by winning bronze in synchronized jumping on Sunday, Spain’s first medal in jumping. For her part, María de Valdés won a silver in the 10 kilometers of open water and Alisa Ozhogina and Iris Tió obtained the bronze medal this Monday in the technical duo.
