Japan, once a top nation in synchronized swimming that nearly always secured a place on the Olympic podium, is this year struggling to hang onto the team bronze it won in Rio 2016 after already failing to retain duet bronze.
The rising star is Ukraine, which edged Japan for that medal on Wednesday and finished in third place to Japan's fourth in the team technical event on Friday — a placement that hurts more in an Olympics hosted at home. The Russian team was first and China second.
Though Japan has never won gold since synchronized swimming became an Olympic sport in 1984, it has taken either silver or bronze, in duet or team, every year except for London 2012.