China’s artistic swimming team achieved a historic milestone at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, winning their first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sport. China artistic swimming won gold. This landmark victory in artistic swimming, described by head coach Zhang Xiaohuan as “a bit unreal” but a dream come true, marks a significant achievement for the team.

“I’m very proud of the team. I think we have completed a perfect work,” said Zhang, highlighting the team’s hard work and dedication despite the challenges they faced.

China dominated the competition with an outstanding total score of 996.1389, showcasing their strength across technical, free, and acrobatic routines. This performance secured China artistic swimming won gold, placing them well ahead of the silver medal-winning U.S. team, with Spain taking the bronze. Russia, a traditional powerhouse in artistic swimming, did not participate in the Paris Games.

This gold medal marks a significant achievement for the Chinese team, which had previously won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Zhang Xiaohuan served as the team captain.

Zhang shared that her dream of Olympic gold motivated her to stay with the team. Moreover, many of her peers retired after the 2008 Games. She noted that changes in the rules of artistic swimming created new opportunities. Consequently, all teams now have a chance to aim for the top.

Zhang also expressed gratitude to the Chinese diving team for their assistance in improving the acrobatic aspects of their routines. “The diving team’s coaches provided significant support to our takeoff and water entry training,” Zhang said. “During the competition, we earned many high scores thanks to our lifts.”

Feng Yu, the team captain and one of the two flag bearers for the Chinese delegation at the Paris Olympics, dedicated the victory to multiple generations of Chinese synchronized swimmers. “The gold medal belongs not only to our team but also to several generations of Chinese synchronized swimmers,” she said.

Members of the U.S. team, including Jacklyn Luu and Jamie Czarkowski, praised China’s performance. “Their execution is just out of this world,” Luu told AP. “When you see them swim, they are like machines out there. So clean. We wanted to put some of that into our swims.” Czarkowski added, “You can see how much work they put in. China artistic swimming won gold—no doubt.”

China’s artistic swimming team has a chance to add another gold. The upcoming duet event begins on Friday.

This Olympic gold follows the team’s remarkable success at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, where they won seven golds, one silver, and one bronze, marking their best-ever performance in the history of the competition.