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

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.