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The rising stars are Ukraine, who edged Japan for that medal on
Wednesday and finished in third place to Japan's fourth in the
team technical event on Friday -- a placing that hurts more in
an Olympics hosted at home. The Russian team were first and
China second.
Though Japan have never won gold since synchronised swimming
became an Olympic sport in 1984, they have taken either silver
or bronze, in duet or team, every year except for London 2012.
That year they were completely shut out, a fate that may await
them this year as well, unless they top Ukraine in the free
event on Saturday.
"To be honest, we were unable to gain the points we thought we
had gotten," Yukiko Inui, 30 and a three-time Olympian, told
reporters after the team event on Friday.
It is a painful situation for a nation where some 30 years ago
Olympic synchronised swimmers were household names and there was
even a weekly television drama about a synchronised swimming
team.
Today, part of the problem is simply lack of experience.
Japan's Olympic team have only one Games veteran, Inui, compared
to six for the Russian team -- including Svetlana Romashina, who
this week became the most decorated Olympian in synchronised
swimming -- and five for China, who took duet silver.
Japanese head coach Masayo Imura said on Friday the lack of
recent global competitions due to the pandemic might also play a
part, with European teams -- which took part in the European
championships earlier this year -- having had a chance to give
the judges fresher impressions.
The last world championships, where Japan finished fourth, was
in 2019, and Imura also wondered if the aesthetics of the sport
might have changed since then in a way that disadvantages Japan.
"I keep telling the team that time for us stopped in 2019, and
we have to start from there, from that fourth place," Imura
said, adding that she felt the team had progressed strongly
since then.
"If we keep performing well, the direction of the wind will
change. We have to keep doing our best."
(Writing by Mayu Sakoda and Elaine Lies; Editing by Michael
Perry and Clare Fallon)
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