Do you know that Russia is the most successful nation at the Summer Olympics Synchronized swimming? Russia has already qualified for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Synchronized swimming, duet and team events along with other 103 nations across the world. Nine Russian swimmers are part of the 104 qualified to take part at the Rio games.
A team of Russia's Synchronized swimmers in a past event; Russia is the most sucessfull nation and will take at the Rio Olympics
This Picture is from Wikipedia
Read more on the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Synchronized Swimming List of Qualified Nations and Swimmers here
The Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Synchronized Swimming is kicking off on the 16th of August and closing its curtain when the medal ceremony ends on the 19th of August.
The Rio 2016 Summer Olympics synchronized swimmers are sweating it out at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, located within the Barra da Tijuca Venue Clusters.
But what the heck is Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Synchronized Swimming?
Synchronized swimming is type of aquatic sport that is made of dancing, gymnastics and swimming. There are various formats of this exciting sport which includes solos, for single swimmer, duet for a pair of swimmers, trios for 3 swimmers, combos for 4 swimmers and Team which can be a combo or have more swimmers.
Synchronized swimming is not for the weak, as it demands endurance, grace, flexibility, artistry and creativity as well as physical strength, besides activity timing and precision.
Various activities characterize synchronized swimming including going underwater in upside position, getting lifted in water or pushing oneself from below the water in an exciting and artistic style.
Synchronized swimming is a fairly a recent sport which its initial name was water ballet; no wonder only women compete. The first recorded synchronized swimming was 5 years before 1896 Summer Olympics and was in Berlin.
However, it’s in New York, where Anne Kellerman made the sport popular by performing in an underground water glass tank.
Annette was a ballerina from Australia.
This 1907 synchronized swimming event would not have made the sport popular if it was not for American Katherine Curtis who started the first water ballet clubs.
Kay Curtis, one of the pioneers of the Synchronized swimming
This picture is from Wikipedia
These first clubs were at the Chicago University. These clubs created exciting underwater strokes which included floating formation as well as other underwater tricks and eventually on the 27th of May 1939, the first ever US synchronized swimming competition took place in Chicago’s Wright Junior College between 2 teams
Canada has had its competition earlier than USA, in 1924 in Montreal. The development and growth of synchronized swimming accolades goes to Annette and Kellerman.
Synchronized swimming at the Summer Olympics
Synchronized swimming has been part of Summer Olympics since Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics. There were solo events from 1984 Olympics to 1992 Olympics. Women duet events was also part of 1984 events, and subsequently at the 1988 and Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics. However there were no women duet at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics but resumed at the Sydney 200, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and are featuring at the Rio 2016.
Synchronize swimming at the Summer Olympics was included at the Lost Angeles, 1984 edition. In this edition a total of 50 swimmers from 21 nations participated in the duet and solo events that featured back then. The solo and duet gold medals went USA swimmers, Tracie Ruiz and Candy Costie.
Tracie Ruiz was the solo winner and together with Candy they won the duet gold.
Canada USA and Japan would dominate the solo and duet events until the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics when Russia took the sport winnings and literally won all the gold medals.
Canada disappeared from the medal table, USA too the second place and Japan remained third. Maybe things will be different at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Synchronized swimming.
Summer Olympics Synchronized swimming team events made its debut at the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics and has never missed in any subsequent Olympics edition and is featuring at the Rio 206 Games. Synchronized swimming solo events only featured for 3 times [1984, 1988 and 1992], while duet has featured the most; in 8 summer Olympics editions, while synchronized swimming team event has featured for 6 times since Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics
At the summer Olympics, only 7 nations have won any medal for the Synchronized swimming. Russia top the medal table with 8 gold medals, followed closely by USA with 5 gold medals, while Canada closes the list of Summer Olympics Synchronized swimming gold medalists. Nations which have won at least a silver medal at Summer Olympics Synchronized swimming are Asia’s China and Japan as well as Europe’s Spain. France closes the medal chart with a bronze medal that was won by a duet of Myriam Lignot and Virginie Dedieu at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics.
This may change at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Synchronized Swimming, which will be underway soon, we can only wait. Do not miss this exciting sport, see the entire Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Synchronized swimming scheduled here
