Yucatecan Regina Alférez shines among Mexican mermaids

In their first appearance at the Olympic Games after 28 years, the Mexican mermaids finished in a historic seventh place in the artistic swimming team competition in Paris.

Yucatecan Regina Alferéz, in addition to Nuria Diosdado, Itzamary González, Fernanda Arellano, Joana Jiménez, Samanta Rodríguez, Jessica Sobrino and Pamela Toscano obtained a total score of 853.7932 points in the sum of the technical, free and acrobatic routines, performed respectively on Monday, Tuesday and yesterday at the Aquatic Center.

The last time Mexico participated in this event at the Olympic Games was in Atlanta 1996, when it finished in eighth place.

“We gave it our all, we enjoyed it a lot. We are very proud of the whole journey and how we finished it,” Jiménez said after the competition. “We are on the right track.”

The gold went to the Chinese team, while the United States took silver and Spain took bronze.

The Mexicans had just won the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023 for the first time in the history of the sport, which also secured them a ticket to Paris. In May of this year, they also won medals at the World Championships held in the same Olympic pool.

“This team will not stop fighting, it will not give up. I think we have made great progress, we have opened the door to artistic swimming in Central America so that everyone can dream of being here,” said Nuria Diosdado, 33 years old, the most experienced member of the team, competing in her fourth Olympic Games (in the previous ones in the duet category).

The start was not the best for the Mexicans, as they were penalized for an error on Monday in the technical routine and finished eighth. The day before they recovered to third place in the incredible free event.

Wearing fuchsia and fluorescent green swimsuits, Mexico performed a choreography in the pool inspired by the Tlaxcalan goddess Matlalcueye, protector of navigation, half woman and half snake, without penalties, but it was not enough to reach the podium.

“We are specialists in overcoming all adversities,” said Diosdado, in a reference that seems to have gone beyond the pool.

Mexican water sports athletes have been affected in their preparation by a dispute between the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport (Conade), a government agency, and the swimming federation, which has been intervened for alleged financial irregularities. “Thanks to the people who were with us, who believed in our work,” the athlete emphasized. “Conade is very large, there are many people who work for us.”

Going for another medal

Mexican Osmar Olvera qualified yesterday for the final of the three-meter springboard diving, placing behind the two competitors from China and the British Jack Laugher.

Olvera, who already took bronze in the springboard at the Paris 2024 synchronized event, finished the semi-final round with a total of 463.75 points, compared to Laugher’s 467.05. The event was dominated by Wang Zongyuan with 537.85 points after six executions, followed by reigning Olympic champion Xie Siyi with 505.85.

On the other hand, Mexican divers Aranza Vázquez and Alejandra Estudillo managed to pass the preliminary test by finishing in third and seventeenth positions after their first five dives.

There is hope for Mexico in golf, as Mexico’s Gabriela Lopez finished third in the first round of the championship yesterday.—AP