History makers in the pool as Great Britain claim first artistic swimming medal

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe claimed a first artistic swimming medal for Great Britain at the Olympics with silver in the women’s duet.

The pair lay outside the podium positions after Friday’s technical routine although a score of 264.0282 was less than a point off the Netherlands, who held third place overnight.

A barnstorming free routine was adjudged the best of the 17-strong field on Saturday and a score of 558.5367 points overall lifted Shortman and Thorpe above both Austria and the Netherlands.

However, their hopes of gold after a performance themed to Rising Phoenix were dashed by China, who claimed an artistic swimming double with victory by 7.9416 points.

Shortman and Thorpe edged out Dutch twin sisters Noortje and Bregje de Brouwer by the wafer-thin margin of 0.1404 points, with Austria in fourth.

The British duo, childhood friends whose mothers competed alongside one another, had high hopes of a historic medal after winning silver and bronze at the World Aquatics Championships earlier this year.

They were the only pairing which finished in the top-five who are not related.

China’s Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi and Ukraine’s Maryna Aleksiiva and Vladyslava Aleksiiva are twins, while Austria’s Anna-Maria Alexandri and Eirini-Marina Alexandri are part of a set of triplets.