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Twisting past controversy Russia takes duet synchronized swimming goldLatest: Sunday October 08, 2000 05:49 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) -- Russia's Olga Brusnikina and Maria Kisseleva teamed to capture the gold medal in the synchronized swimming duet competition on Tuesday with a near-perfect routine. Brusnikina and Kisseleva used a karate routine performed to the beat of Japanese drums to defeat a team from Japan. The Russians picked up all 10s for artistic impression, while their technical marks were marred by a lone 9.9 from the Japanese judge. They totaled 99.580 points. Mya Tachibana and Miho Takedo took silver with 98.650, earning straight 9.9s from the judges. Virginie Dedieu and Myriam Lignot of France claimed bronze at 97.437. The fee program, performed in a half-filled Sydney International Aquatic Center, counted for 65 percent of the total mark. It was added to Sunday's technical results. Kisseleva's presence in the Olympics was accompanied by controversy. She was stripped of her European duet title after failing a doping test on July 21. The infraction carried a possible three-month suspension, but the Russian federation made her sit out only a month. That allowed her to compete in Sydney. Officials said the lighter penalty was fair since the banned substance, ephedrine, was included in a supplement to control Kisseleva's weight and gave her no advantage in the pool. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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