With a routine inspired by the migration of the Monarch butterfly, Mexico closed its historic participation in artistic swimming at the Pan American Games with another gold, featuring male competitors for the first time.
In a sport dominated by the United States and Canada, Mexican women became Pan American champions on Friday in the team event, adding to the title won the previous day in duets. Never before has he had such an amazing performance in artistic swimming in front of a Latin American country.
The Mexicans Nuria Diosdado and Joana Jiménez, winners of the duet competition, together with Regina Alferéz, Marla Arellano, Daniela Estrada, Itzamary González, Luisa Jailib, Pamela Toscano and Jessica Sobrino achieved the best score ( 786.2546) in addition to technical routines. , free and acrobatic.
The United States and Canada completed the podium.
The champions earn a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“We are showing the power of the Aztecs,” Jiménez emphasized. “He has never won a gold medal in duet and team. I am absolutely proud, happy and grateful to the whole team. “They are wonderful women.”
The Mexicans took advantage of the previous day’s technical routine of the other seven teams. This Friday they focus on an aggressive acrobatic routine inspired by Monarch butterflies, common in North America and considered a symbol of endurance.
“Butterflies are beautiful, they have elegance. They are funny, but they also take a long and difficult path to reach their destination. Like butterflies, we went through a very strong, difficult process, but we made it, we got there,” Toscano said.
Although the United States received the best rating, the Mexican women’s second place was enough to win the gold.
Part of Mexico’s success is also explained by a change in the scoring system for artistic swimming. It used to be evaluated subjectively by artistic impression and originality. Now the swimmers have to show in advance a number routine with their legs out of the water and the level of difficulty. If they meet it, they will receive the points corresponding to each number. Otherwise, they will take it.
“So there’s a lot of movement in the rankings around the world,” Jiménez explained.
Another new element of the competition is the inclusion for the first time of men’s artistic swimming at the Pan American Games. This decision was made after the World Aquatics – the world body for aquatic sports – promoted this revolutionary rule change at the end of 2022 for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Afterwards, a maximum of two men can compete in the team event. Its inclusion is not mandatory.
At the Santiago 2023 Aquatic Center, Chilean Nicolás Campos was the first to jump into the pool of the sports event as part of a team of eight participants from his country.
The American Bill May, pioneer and first world champion, also participated, as well as the Colombian Gustavo Sánchez and the Cuban Andy Ávila.
