BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Representing Western New York on the world's stage, Anita Alvarez will bring an Olympic medal home from Paris.
The Kenmore West graduate trained in the Tonawanda Aquettes program as a youth won silver with the United States artistic swimming team at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Saint-Denis, France.
It is the first medal in three Olympic Games for the 28-year-old Alvarez, and the first U.S. medal in the sport since 2004.
China took gold in the team event with 996.1389 points, and the Americans scored 914.3421, ahead of bronze medalist Spain with 900.7319 points.
It was a big medal for China, and also a step forward for the sport, which changed its name from synchronized swimming several years ago to update its image. Some swimmers still call it “synchro.”
“There is attention to the sport that has never happened before,” said Adam Andrasko, who heads USA Artistic Swimming. “This is an absolutely different sport.”
The smiles, the makeup and hair gelatin remain, but this is no longer the water ballet beneath flowery rubber caps that your grandparents watched.
Wednesday’s acrobatic routines, after technical and free routines on Monday and Tuesday, put female athleticism on full display: power, endurance, and energy.
In the acrobatic routine, each team is required to include seven above-water elements. Seven times, a swimmer known as the “flier” is launched two meters (six feet) above the water surface into flips, twists and dives.
She’s catapulted into the air from a base of swimmers below that are not allowed to touch the bottom of the pool.
Tricks, more muscular routines and more buzz now characterize the sport: like the Moonwalk routine — performed upside down with the swimmers heads under water — that the Americans performed Tuesday in the free routine.
Rules and judging changes adopted about 18 months ago have turned this into gymnastics on water — with a dramatic edge like figure skating. The risks are also higher.
Alvarez, who was USA's Artistic Swimming Athlete of the Year in 2021, feinted in the pool and sank to the bottom at 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.
Men had an opportunity for the first time to compete in artistic at the Olympics, but no men were picked by any of the teams. There is consideration to add a mixed duet team event for Los Angeles 2028, which would create more space for men to compete.
“There was not nearly enough time for nearly enough males to prepare for this chance,” Andrasko said. “It was a challenge to step up interest in a year and a half before the Olympics.”
***
Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.