Natalia Ishchenko, Svetlana Romashina win gold for Russia again in synchronised swimming duets
The defending champions won Russia's fifth-straight gold medal in the event on Tuesday (16 August)
Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina won the gold medal in synchronised swimming duets on Tuesday, Russia's fifth-straight medal in the event. (Photo: Getty Images/Al Bello)
Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina of Russia successfully defended their Olympic title in the synchronised swimming duets event on Tuesday.
The duo continued Russia's unbroken streak of gold medals in the event since the country first participated in it in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
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"This is not just our medal," Ishchenko said. "It's also about our team, our coaches and everyone who has supported us along the way."
With their victory, Ishchenko and Romashina equaled Russians Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova's record total of two gold medals in the event.
"Every medal is a special one and this medal is also really valuable to me because it took a long time to get it," Romashina said. "The last four years were really hard for us, especially the last four months because nobody knew if Russia would be able to compete in the Olympic Games so we are very happy to be here and to win gold."
Huang Xuechen and Sun Wenyan of China won silver while Yukiko Inui and Risako Mitsui of Japan took bronze.
