Russia triumphant on closing day of Artistic Swimming World Series event

BUDAPEST -- Russia claimed gold in the solo and team events on the closing day of the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series event in Budapest on Sunday.

Russia's wunderkind, the 17-year-old teenager Varvara Subbotina, took the gold medal at the solo free event, enchanting the crowd with a performance worth 95.3330 points.

"I'm so happy to win two gold medals right in my first senior international event," Subbotina said. "I'm basically satisfied with my results but I want to come back to the Junior World Championships harder and stronger in July."

Subbotina says she's "too young" to think about the pressure of being declared one of the greatest prodigies in her field, and the young Russian says she is just concentrating on practicing as much as possible.

She was followed by Ukraine's Yelyzaveta Yakhno, who won a silver medal with a score of 92.7999. Linda Cerruti from Italy came in third, with 90.5668 points.

In the afternoon, during the team free event, the Russian team lived up to the expectations, and secured the gold medal with a stunning 97.0000 points. The silver went to Ukraine with 93.3333 and team Israel received a bronze medal with 80.6668 points.

The FINA Artistic Swimming World Series continues next week, Leg 6 will be staged in Madrid.