Christina Jones and Bill May, a couple of old pros in the pool making a comeback while juggling Las Vegas show careers, won a gold medal in the new mixed duet technical synchronized swimming event at the FINA World Championships on Sunday night.
The two US swimmers totaled 88.5108 points to beat the Russians by 0.2122 points in their home pool with a two-minute routine that included scissor kicks and spins at Kazan Arena.
Russia’s Aleksandr Maltsev and Darina Valitova, who led by just more than two points after the preliminaries, settled for silver with 88.2986 points. Maltsev, the only man participating in synchro in Russia, did not like the results.
Photo: AFP
“We were underscored, and all others were clearly overscored,” he said. “That’s bitter, we are upset.”
Italians Manila Flamini and Giorgio Minisini earned bronze with 86.3640 in a sport that has been traditionally dominated by women.
However, Russia did not leave the pool empty-handed. Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina won gold in the synchro duet technical with 95.4672 points. China was second and Japan third.
China improved to 3-0 in diving when Chen Aisen and Lin Yue won the men’s 10m synchronized platform with 495.72 points, keeping the country on track for a gold medal sweep.
They easily outdistanced Ivan Garcia Navarro and German Sanchez of Mexico, who took silver with 448.89. Russians Roman Izmailov and Victor Minibaev earned bronze at 441.33.
The synchro mixed duet is new to the world championships, even though men and women first competed together at the 1998 Goodwill Games. Back then, May was the only man on the US women’s team, which earned a silver medal in a group routine.
He had to wait 17 years to reach the world stage again, staying in shape by performing in a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. May jelled his hair and donned nose clips for a comeback after the mixed event was added to the worlds program late last year.
“A lot of barriers have been broken,” May said. “You see these strong countries, these masculine countries, strong athletes come from these countries. They’re going to bring more men into the sport.”
Jones and May received mostly nines and eights while being judged on execution, impression and performing required elements in a certain order.
Wearing deep coral suits — hers with a deep V-neck and his a bikini style — Jones and May swam an upbeat routine to Just Kiss Me by Harry Connick Jr. Their deck work — which is judged as well — included a move borrowed from a Las Vegas choreographer: May dived through a circle Jones created using her left arm and leg while standing on her right leg.
“This has never been done before in synchronized swimming,” Jones said.
May jokingly called it the “Bill and Christina dive-through.”
“Let’s name it right now,” Jones added.
The gold did not come without injury. Jones dived in and May was waiting underwater to lift her when Jones’ nail sliced his left eye. The skin around it was bruised, but it did not affect his eyesight.
“I felt bad about it for one second,” Jones said, laughing.
May, 36, won 14 US national titles in the late 90s, having once been banned from synchro because of his gender.
“I don’t think you’re ever too old to achieve anything,” he said.
“I like to call it experienced,” May added.
The mixed event is not in the Olympics, although Jones and May hope it will be added soon enough for them to extend their comeback.
“This was a real big test event to see what type of response the world would give this and I think the world has given a great response,” May said. “Someday it will be there.”
Besides training up to five hours per day, 27-year-old Jones and May perform 10 shows per week in Cirque du Soleil’s O at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. They got two weeks off to compete at the worlds. Their show friends were cheering them on while watching live at a party back home, despite the 10-hour time difference.
“We’re both better athletes than we were before we retired, because we’ve learned how to be become performers,” Jones said. “When you combine that with our athleticism, it’s the gold.”
May has a shot at another medal in Kazan. He and 2000 Olympian Kristina Lum, his duet partner years ago, are to compete in the mixed duet free event today. Lum performs in Le Reve — The Dream at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Returning to Sin City with gold in their pockets will not necessarily earn Jones and May a raise, though.
“I wish,” he said. “It’ll probably put us in line for a nice pat on the back.”
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