Heliopolis Sporting Club (HSC)’s synchronised swimming team, which represented Egypt, surprised the audience after it won the silver medal at the 25th Heliopolis International Water Polo and Synchronised Swimming Championship, with a score of 143.882.
The championship was held from 11-15 October.
The team consisted of Aya Tarek, Zeina Omar, Laila Ali, Mahitab Nader, Farida El-Saied, Noura Seif, Nadin Ahmed, and Leila Fouda.
The gold medal went to the Slovak national team, while bronze was obtained by Nireas Halandriou, representing Greece.
At the syncronised swimming’s duet competitions, Leila Fouda and Noura Seif, representing HSC and Egypt, were placed third. Fourth place went to the duo Drew Anderson and Nicolette Karlson, who represented TBA and Africa. Petra Durisova and Diana Miskechova, representing the Slovak national team, won silver. The winners of the duet competitions were Valentina Farantouri and Ifigeneia Dipla, representing Nireas Halandriou and Greece.
In the synchronised swimming’s solo competition, Egypt’s Laila Ali won bronze with a score of 144.315. Gold and silver went respectively to Diana Miskechova from the Slovak national team with a score of 153.136, and Valentina Farantouri from the Greek team of Nireas Halandriou with a score of 153.054. America’s Narinay Bush came in fourth with 129.095. South African Sonal Reddie from TBA came in fifth with the score of 119.752.
Four teams from three countries participated in the water polo competition, namely Honvéd Club (Hungary), KSI Club (Hungary), HSC (Egypt), and Panathinaikos Club (Greece). Honvéd won gold, Panathinaikos silver, and KSI bronze.
Atilla Decker, one of Hungarian Honvéd’s players, stated that “water polo is our traditional and primary sport in Hungary”. Honvéd had won the men’s water polo tournament at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
He added that Hungary has many famous water polo players, and also qualified junior players in the discipline.
