USA Misses Tokyo by .2 but Inspires a Nation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The senior national team had the fight of their lives this morning and swam with their hearts. The athletes left it all in the pool and represented USA with grace. The squad scored an impressive 88.933 points for a combined 175.788. The team’s free performance launched them ahead of France, securing a fourth-place finish just .211 behind the last qualification spot. It should not be overlooked that this score marks a 4.5333 increase in the free program from World Championships two years ago. No other team came close to improving by such a large margin and this score illustrates the ushering in of a new era of USA Artistic Swimming on the world stage. In the end, Italy, Spain and Greece punched their ticket to the Tokyo Olympic Games. For full results, visit the FINA website HERE. 

What this squad accomplished was much bigger, however. They changed the perception of USA Artistic Swimming and inspired athletes across the world. What started with a change in the conversation after the French Open in 2020 has now switched to an unwavering belief in the potential of artistic swimming in the USA to return to international dominance. We are thankful for the sacrifices and contributions of Anita Alvarez, Lindi Schroeder, Nicole Goot, Hannah Heffernan, Paige Areizaga, Dani Ramirez, Abby Remmers, Ruby Remati and alternates Nikki Dzurko, Megumi Field and Anya Melson. The coaching staff has developed our athletes and reignited a fire in our program, Andrea Fuentes, Anna Voloshyna and Lara Teixeira have changed our program for the better. 

FINAL TEAM RANKINGS
1. Italy (184.0249)
2. Spain (182.8506)
3. Greece (175.9990)
4. USA (175.7882)
5. France (174.8833)
6. Korea (159.0777)
7. Hungary (151.3796)

FREE TEAM
1. Italy (93.2332)
2. Spain (92.3000)
3. USA (88.9332)
4. Greece (88.6000)
5. France (87.8332)
6. Korea (79.4668)
7. Hungary (75.5000)

Anita Alvarez, after an emotional rollercoaster, went on to compete in free solo and secured a silver medal and a career-high score in the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series Super Final. Nikki Dzurko swam in the tech solo category yesterday and was awarded a bronze medal. 

FREE SOLO
1. Jacqueline Simoneau (CAN) - 92.1000
2. Anita Alvarez (USA) - 88.1332
3. Mireia Hernandez (ESP) - 86.3668

TECH SOLO
1. Jaqueline Simoneau (CAN) - 90.4573
2. Lara Meching (LIE) - 84.1573
3. Nikki Dzurko (USA) - 82.0876

We look forward to supporting Anita and Lindi in their quest for Olympic duet qualification. They will take the pool tomorrow at 1:00 a.m. PT and 8:00 a.m. PT for their free and tech duet performances. The team will also be participating in the highlight competition at 11:10 a.m. PT tomorrow.