Paris Olympics to welcome first Korean artistic swimming duet since 2012
![Hur Yoon-seo, left, and Lee Ri-young perform their artistic swimming women's duet free routine at the Hangzhou Asian Games at the Aquatic Sports Arena in Hangzhou, China on Oct. 7, 2023. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/07/24/d528dc31-52dc-4fdf-8887-9ec607650ded.jpg)
Hur Yoon-seo, left, and Lee Ri-young perform their artistic swimming women's duet free routine at the Hangzhou Asian Games at the Aquatic Sports Arena in Hangzhou, China on Oct. 7, 2023. [NEWS1]
Korea is returning to artistic swimming at the Olympics for the first time since 2012 with Lee Ri-young and Hur Yoon-seo competing in duet.
Korea has never been particularly competitive in artistic swimming, which is traditionally a women-only sport.
But both Lee, 23, and Hur, 18, are among the best athletes Korea has ever produced in the sport. Both reached solo final rounds at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships where Hur placed sixth in the women’s solo free final to notch a new highest-ever finish by a Korean across all events at the tournament.
Lee and Hur finished the women’s duet competition in 10th place at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar to secure their place at the Paris Olympics.
They are the first Korean synchronized swimmers to qualify for the Games since sisters Park Hyun-sun and Park Hyun-ha, who finished in 12th place at the 2012 London Olympics.
Artistic swimming includes a duet and a team competition. The duet event consists of a technical routine and a free routine, while the team event adds an acrobatic event.
The pool’s dimensions are 20 meters by 30 meters with a minimum depth of 3 meters.
Officials score teams on multiple factors including execution and artistic skill.
Artistic swimmers use their legs and arms to propel themselves above the water to perform maneuvers and must constantly tread water.
Russian athletes have dominated artistic swimming at the Games since 2000. Though Russia is banned from competing at the Paris Olympics, individual athletes can still take part under the Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) banner.
Korea has never medaled in artistic swimming at the Olympics.
Men were eligible to compete in the team event for the first time this year, but zero qualified.
The duet technical routine runs on Aug. 9 and the free routine follows on Aug. 10.
BY MARY YANG, KEVIN CHUNG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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