Before last night, Britain’s contribution to artistic swimming was roughly as great as our influence on Turkish carpet weaving.
So much so that in 40 years of this performance sport’s Olympic inclusion our leotarded tadpoles had won precisely no medals. Not so any longer, as Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe frolicked their way to a fabulous silver.
We are talking here about the artform that used to be called synchronised swimming, and previously ‘water ballet’. It is said to have originated in Berlin and Canada at the turn of the 20th Century and later played in English and Scottish variety theatres. Where its critics wouldn’t have minded it staying.
Begone cynics! For Shortman and Thorpe were rewarded for having toe-pointed their way defiantly against history and a system that only recently deemed them worthy of Lottery funding.
They were third-from-last to perform their free routine last night. While they waited their turn, the first notes they heard might have acted as inspiration because the French duo, who kicked-off proceedings, choreographed their routine to Ravel’s Bolero, the one Torvill and Dean bewitched Sarajevo with in 1984, the year synchronised swimming entered the Olympic roster.
But the Chinese were favourites for gold in the shadow of the Stade de France and led overnight after the duet technical on Friday.
Britain lay fourth with twins comprising the Chinese couple, second-placed Austria, and third-placed Holland. The Ukrainians, in fifth, are also twins. Hardly sounds fair when your movement in the water is practically umbilical.
A brilliant routine from the sequined British girls, to Rising Phoenix music, took them straight into first place. It was their prize for adding an extra 360-degree turn, a bold tactic to shoot for gold.
Just two teams were yet to come.
First, the Dutch. All eyes on the big screen for sight of their results. Not good enough to displace our high-stepping heroines of the pool. Only second for Holland at this point, finally to be bronze.
And then the Wangs of China – Liuyi and Qianyi. They were dazzling to this untutored eye. The scores flashed up. The red republic had done it – 566.4783 points to 558.537.
Artistic swimming may look simple and graceful, but that’s the skill. It’s what more than 40 hours of hard work a week result in, Monday to Saturday. ‘We’re meant to be smiling so you can’t see the pain,’ said Thorpe.
As well as swimming, obviously, training entails yoga, weights – and ‘apnoea’, which sounds like the answer to 12 down. The clue is: breathwork. Training their lungs allows them to hold their breath under water for two minutes or more.
Shortman and Thorpe’s polished-like-sterling-silver synchronicity was developed at a young age, dating back to primary school in their native Bristol. Shortman is now 22 and her ‘sister’ and ‘best friend’ Thorpe is 23. Each keeps the same breed of dog – cockapoos. Each finishes the other’s sentences.
They had a slight head start as their mothers – Maria Shortman and Karen Thorpe, who is leading the team here – were outstanding practitioners. They qualified as pair for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, only for the event to be changed to an eight-woman endeavour. The expanded number did not qualify.
So, this was a rich day of closure for the respective families. ‘This is their story, and I am happy to be here with them,’ said a delighted Mrs Thorpe, Izzy’s mother, who practically counts Kate as a daughter, too.
