Swim England Artistic Swimming

The home of artistic swimming in England

Top ten finish for GB Duet at 2016 German Open

London 2012 Olympians Katie Clark and Olivia Federici made their competitive return this weekend, finishing eighth at the 2016 German Open in Bonn.

Clark and Federici returned to the sport at the start of 2016 following their selection onto the British synchronised swimming Duet squad training for qualification to the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The pair competed against 22 nations in the Duet event in Germany, using the same routines that they will use to try and secure their place at the Olympic Games at the Rio 2016 Olympic Synchronised Swimming Qualification Tournament in March.

2016 German Open: Tech Routine

Competing in their first competition since the World Championships in 2013, Clark and Federici took to the water for the Duet Technical routine on the first day in Germany.

The pair scored 77.2263 points for their ‘Good and Evil’ routine – their first performance together as they take their first steps towards Olympic qualification.

2016 German Open: Free Routine Prelim

Clark and Federici put in another solid performance in the Duet Free, scoring 77.7667 for their snake-inspired routine.

This took their overall total to 154.9930 and secured the Duet a place in the final and a second chance to perform their new Free routine.

2016 German Open: Free Routine Final

In the final, Clark and Federici made improvements to their routine, scoring 78.6 points – a point higher than on day two – and moving up to seventh place in the Free routine standings.

The Duet performed to a high level and showed the improvements they have made in their fitness and strength as they showcased their precision throughout the routine.

The pair finished in eighth place overall at the end of the final when the technical routine’s score was added.

The GB Duet will now continue their journey to the Olympic Test Event with the French Open which takes place from 5 February.

Top