SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — China and the United States were the leaders Tuesday after the team free routine in artistic swimming at the Paris Olympics.
Longtime powerhouse Russia is not competing in Paris after the invasion of Ukraine, leaving the competition more open than usual.
China had 712.4455 points on Tuesday through the technical and free routines. The gold medal is Wednesday with the acrobatic routine set to determine the winner.
The United States has 643.0255 points followed by Spain (633.6119) and Japan (627.9308).
Russia began a run of dominance at the 2000 Sydney Games, winning every Olympic gold since then in the sport formerly known as synchronized swimming — 12 straight victories in all.
But the country has been largely shunned on the international sports stage since launching its war on Ukraine. Russia has not entered an artistic swimming team at a major competition since the Tokyo Olympics.
Men were eligible for the team event for the first time at these Games, but none of the 10 teams picked a male swimmer.
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