Paris World Series a Huge Success for Team USA

The 2022 FINA Artistic Swimming World Series was a victorious endeavor for the United States, proving the senior national team is on the right track to continue to make history. The 2020 event brings back fond memories for the national team program, with the Robot routine receiving the highest marks in recent memory and reaffirming that Andrea Fuentes’ creative vision would lead the US back to artistic swimming glory. The progress made at the 2022 event topped those memories, as the United States brings back three gold medals and two silver medals as reward for their athletic excellence.

The event kicked off on Friday when Natalia Vega and Megumi Field competed their electronic dance free duet. This was the first time the pair performed together in person, with Megumi being called up from the junior squad and Natalia returning to the national team program from her collegiate athletic career. Their blend of fresh talent and seasoned skills pushed them to the top of the standings, collecting a second gold medal for the season. They finished 1.9667 ahead of second-place Israel in perhaps the most competitive category of the weekend with 22 total routines.

Keeping the momentum going, the highlight routine competed on Saturday. Their performance electrified the crowd and their commitment to their ‘cave people’ theme all the way through receiving the scores set the facility abuzz. The squad was rewarded with another gold medal, finishing a fantastic 2.3 points ahead of Canada. Anna Voloshyna's innovation in the routine won the audience over. 

The mixed duets opened and closed the competition on Sunday. It was a senior debut for both pairs, and both the tech and free duos secured silver medals. At just 17, Ivy Davis and Kenny Gaudet ended 5.3 behind Spain’s seasoned pair of Emma Garcia and Pau Ribes. Claudia Coletti and Gaudet faced strong competition in the free category, with both Garcia and Ribes and a technically exquisite pair from Italy. USA’s strong and engaging performance, in the pair’s first competition together, propelled them to second place. Coletti and Gaudet finished 2.5334 behind Ribes and Garcia and .7 ahead of Italy. Both pairs show strong promise for their young age and have already managed to produce great performances. 

The technical team category did not disappoint. In a category filled with instrumental routines, Fuentes’ Michael Jackson selection stood out. The team debuted a routine filled with nods to Jackson’s iconic dance moves and specific facial expressions and showcased their continued technical improvement. The team took gold with 86.0680, a score that is not far off from the 2021 Olympic Qualification Tournament despite having minimal time together. The result was another illustration of how high the ceiling is for this new team. 

It is worth noting that this is the first time since 2007 that the United States has managed to beat Canada’s top senior squad in a team category. In a sport where continental qualification is often the preferred method of Olympic qualification, this marks a huge step forward for the United States to potentially secure a return to the team division at the Olympic Games. 

HIGHLIGHT
1. United States of America – 87.8333
2. Canada – 85.5333
3. Chile – 81.4333

FREE MIXED DUET
1. Garcia and Ribes (Spain) - 85.5667
2. Coletti and Gaudet (USA) - 83.0333
3. Ogliari and Sala (Italy) - 82.3667

TECHNICAL TECHNICAL DUET
1. Garcia and Ribes (Spain) - 84.3804
2. Davis and Gaudet (USA) - 79.0104
3. Cerquero-Hatiusca and Sanchez (Colombia) - 77.7850

TECHNICAL TEAM
1. USA – 86.0680
2. Canada – 84.7341
3. Israel – 82.5568

For full results, visit FINA’s page HERE. For video replays of the event, visit FINA’s YouTube channel HERE.