Image: GEPA pictures
The synchronized swimmers Eirini-Marina and Anna-Maria Alexandri finished seventh among 22 duets in the Olympic competition in Tokyo after the preliminary fight in the free freestyle. The Austrians opened the competition, starting number one is not necessarily an advantage in the ratings. With 90.5000 points, the sisters passed the 90-point mark on Monday, but it was almost two points less than their best performance. The technical freestyle will follow on Tuesday (12.30 p.m. CEST).
These two parts of the competition decide on the final qualification, the top twelve reach the medal decision on Wednesday (12.30 p.m. CEST). In 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, the Alexandris finished twelfth, now they are ideally aiming for sixth place. The first competitors for this position could be the Canadians Claudia Holzner / Jacqueline Simoneau and the Italians Linda Cerruti / Costanza Ferro, each rated 0.7 points better than the ÖOC duo at the beginning.
“It's always difficult with starting number 1,” said Eirini-Marina Alexandri after her presentation, her triplet sister went into even more detail: “The judges are often not ready to give the good rating you deserve. Mentally it is a a bit more difficult. But I think we did it very well. ” But they would assess themselves better than the Canadians, for example, and are not the only ones who think that way.
The North Americans were supposed to be overtaken in the overall preliminaries in order to get into the second group in the twelve finals. From seventh place after the preliminary battle, it could happen to get start number one again for the final. Coach Albena Mladenowa praised the performance, but still saw potential: “There are some things that I want more. They can do more, they have reserves. I want to get them out. I expect more points, they can swim better.”
It is clear to the two-time European Championship third parties that they have to step on the gas in the technology part. “We have to give everything,” said Eirini-Marina Alexandri as a motto. In any case, it is very gratifying that Spain has been beaten for the first time on a world level. The two Iberians received 88.3000 points in ninth place, before and immediately behind the OSV pair, the French Charlotte and Laura Tremble came in at 88.5667 points. Seventh place seems to be more or less secure.
As expected, Svetlana Kolesnitschenko / Svetlana Romaschina took the lead, the duo of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) received an extremely high rating of 97.9000 points. Behind came China (96.2333), Ukraine (94.9333), Japan (93.9333) and Canada (91.2333) and Italy (91.2000).
