SYDNEY -- Japanese water-babes Miya Tachibana and Miho Takeda swam for the gold in the synchronized swimming duet final Tuesday, but were beaten by a Russian team whose routine drew on Japanese culture for inspiration.
The Japanese duo finished with an overall score of 98.650 points -- 0.930 points behind gold-medal winners Olga Brusnikina and Maria Kisseleva -- and will come home with the silver in the event.
"We realized the Russians have a very high skill level. We were able to earn a medal this time and we can proudly say we did very well in this event," Tachibana said.