As the whistle blew and the rhythmic music filled the air, the twin sisters, Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi, clad in leopard-print suits, gracefully dove into the water. They moved in perfect harmony with the music, resembling two cheetahs racing through a forest.

On October 7th, in the artistic swimming duet free routine final at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Guangdong "sister act" Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi, with their routine themed "Leopard," showcased their exceptional power and beauty to perfection. They clinched the gold medal with a total score of 526.8620 points, securing their spot at the Paris Olympics.

"Leopard" routine conveys speed and explosiveness

In the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, the twin sisters made history by winning gold medals in four events for China, including duet technical and duet free routines, as well as team technical and team free routines.

This year, synchronized swimming introduced new rules, with the most significant change being the penalty for athletes failing to execute their declared difficulty elements, resulting in a reduction of their scores. This heightened the element of chance and increased the overall difficulty of the sport.

At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, the sisters faced a setback due to these new rules. In the duet free routine final, not all of their elements were recognized by the judges, leading to them settling for silver.

In the Hangzhou Asian Games, the sisters chose technical routines themed "Lotus" and "Leopard" for the duet free routine preliminaries and finals, respectively. Wang Qianyi described these routines as tailored to their strengths, saying, "Yesterday's routine showcased our slender and graceful physique, while today's emphasized explosiveness. It's a unique challenge, with increased difficulty in the legwork, but we aim to convey the artistry of upper-body movements and hope to master both styles while earning the audience's recognition."

Sisters eager to stand on the Olympic Podium

The rule changes in synchronized swimming in 2023 have continuously raised the challenges and difficulties faced by the twin sisters. Wang Liuyi shared her initial struggles, saying, "The days leading up to the first competition were all about changing our routines. I felt quite overwhelmed on the competition day, dealing with immense psychological pressure. However, after that competition, I felt mentally stronger. Through this kind of pressure, we quickly adapted to the new rules."

Today, adjusting routines has become routine for the sisters. Wang Qianyi stated, "We spend ten hours in the water every day, needing more time to train for difficult elements and build better synchronization."

As they reflect on their growth and transformation, Wang Qianyi expressed determination: "We've participated in many international competitions, from initially barely passing with 60 points to possibly achieving a level of 90 points now. Although our room for improvement has shrunk, and progress has slowed down, we won't stop moving forward."

With their Paris Olympics qualification secured, Wang Qianyi will stand on the Olympic stage alongside her sister for the first time. She hopes that through their daily training and hard work, they can reach the podium, even aiming for the highest step.

杭州亚运会上，广东“姐妹花”展现“水中芭蕾”力与美

一声哨响，抑扬顿挫的音乐响起，一身豹纹装的双胞胎“姐妹花”王柳懿和王芊懿一头扎进水里，跟随节奏律动在水中舞动身姿，犹如两只猎豹在林中飞驰而过……

10月7日，杭州亚运会花样游泳双人自由决赛中，广东的双胞胎“姐妹花”王柳懿和王芊懿以一套主题为《豹》的技术动作，将的力与美发挥到极致，最终以总分526.8620分夺金，并锁定巴黎奥运会参赛资格。

《豹》传递速度与爆发力

在2022年布达佩斯游泳世锦赛上，这对姐妹花获得双人技术自选、双人自由自选、集体技术自选和集体自由自选4个项目的金牌，创造中国花样游泳历史最佳战绩。

今年以来，花样游泳项目启用新规则。其中最大的变化是，一旦运动员在比赛中动作失误，没有完成申报的动作难度分值，就会被降回基准分，这直接导致比赛的偶然性和难度大大提升。

2023年福冈游泳世锦赛，两姐妹在新规则下经历了心理打击：两人在双人自由自选决赛中的动作难度没有被裁判全部认定，最终收获银牌。

这次亚运会，在双人自由自选预赛和决赛中，两姐妹分别选择了以《莲》和《豹》为主题的技术动作。妹妹王芊懿认为，这两套动作都是为她们量身打造的，“昨天的动作展示的是我们身材的修长轻盈，柔中带刚，今天则是爆发力。这是一次很特别的挑战，在腿上难度提升的同时，我们尽力呈现上身动作的艺术表现力，希望两种风格都能驾驭，也希望都能获得观众的认可”。

姐妹花期待站在奥运领奖台

2023年花游新规则的变化，意味着这对姐妹花面临的挑战和难度在不断升级。王柳懿告诉记者，今年的第一场比赛很崩溃，“赛前两天的训练全部在改动作，比赛当天的情绪是有点崩溃的，当时心理压力很大，但经过那场比赛后，感觉自己的心理变得更加强大了。通过这种强压，我们也很快适应了新规则”。

如今，对于王柳懿和王芊懿来说，改动作已是常态，“每天泡在水里的时间是10个小时，我们需要更多的时间去训练难度动作，去不断磨合达成默契”。

对于两人的成长蜕变，妹妹王芊懿坚定地表示：“我们已经参加了很多国际大赛，从最开始刚刚60分的及格状态，到目前可能达到90分的水准。虽然进步空间变小、提升速度变慢，但我们不会停下前进的脚步。”

在锁定巴黎奥运会参赛资格后，王芊懿将第一次与姐姐站在奥运赛场，她希望通过每天的训练和努力，尽力登上领奖台，甚至是最高领奖台。

文｜记者 柴智 詹淑真
图｜记者 梁喻 林桂炎
翻译丨刘佳慧
责编丨古司祺
校对丨苏敏