Day 12: Artistic Swimming!!!

Is this the Olympic sport with the highest concentration of twins?

Aug 07, 2024

Artistic Swimming, Team Free Routine

As I have discussed, this is the best sport. The athletes do the most astonishing and beautiful things both inside the water and out! They wear the coolest outfits and the most resilient-to-water hair and makeup! It is so entertaining and athletic and bizarre!

Today was the free routine for the team competition; each team has eight swimmers, and as of this year, at least two of those can be men, but as it happens, none of the swimmers competing this year are. I feel like we should probably talk about several of the teams’ routines, especially their themed outfits:

Above it Team France! I don’t want to diminish these amazing competitors’ athletic accomplishments by focusing only on aesthetics, but the number one thing you need to know is that they were wearing swim caps that look like faces, so it’s like they have two heads!!

Like many synchronized swimming teams, Team France has twins on it! Specifically, Charlotte and Laura Tremble, whose shared birthday is June 4, 1999…making them twin Geminis!

Team Mexico was butterfly-themed, which you can see in their butterfly hand movements as well as their butterfly formation, as well as their sparkly suits.

Team Spain were doing an Aladdin thing (including performing to “Arabian Nights”) and they seemed to get a good score but I honestly didn’t enjoy it that much? Sorry Spain!! No twins, although there are two team members born within four days of each other, which is almost twin-like.

Team Canada was boxing-themed and their music involved clips from the theme from Rocky!! Do you know that thing in boxing matches where the referee(?) will take the hand of the champ(?) and hold it high in the air, like “yaaaay this guy!!”? These swimmers did that except with one person’s arm and another person’s FOOT!

Team USA was extremely impressive, although I honestly can’t say I know what their theme was!

Team Japan was chess-themed and they were amazing.

Team China were today’s champions and were octopus-themed. They were wildly impressive! Their team excitingly features twins, specifically, Liuyi and Qianyi Wang, born January 16, 1997.

Comments My Mom Made About Judo When I Had It On The Other Day

“I might not feel tuned into the Olympics until we’re watching something other than judo.”
“It’s like bears wrestling.”
“Kayak cross, I believe, is a lot more fun to watch than judo. Judo seems a bit mysterious to me, like it’s following rules I can’t fathom.”

#PhrygeWatch

I don’t really understand what the context for this is—I assume it has to do with basketball? But I find it charmingly threatening.

Fashion Moment: Skateboarder Cocona Hiraki

This year’s skateboarding outfits haven’t been as eye-catching and colorful as some of what we saw in Tokyo 2021 (née 2020), but it has been fun to see this year’s athletes seem to bring a lot of their own personal taste rather than sticking to top-down uniforms assigned to them by their country. As a short-sleeved button-down enthusiast, I’m pleased to see that Japanese skater Cocona Hiraki, who got silver in the women’s park competition and also is only 15(!), has been bringing some short-sleeved button-down representation to the Olympics.

What’s Next?

Tomorrow is Wednesday, August 7, and here are some events that’ll be happening:

12:30 AM CT: Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay (!!!)
10:30 AM CT: Skateboarding, Men’s Park Final (perhaps there will be more short-sleeved button-downs there!)
11:15 AM CT: Women’s Pole Vault Final
11:57 AM CT: Track Cycling, Women’s Team Pursuit Finals
12:30 PM CT: Artistic Swimming, Team Acrobatic Routine
1:25 PM CT: Men’s Discus Throw Final
2:19 PM CT: Taekwondo, Women’s -49kg Gold Medal Contest