China’s dominance in team free artistic swimming continued at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, as they claimed a fourth consecutive world title on Saturday (July 20).

Despite being forced into a late line-up change with team captain Feng Yu replacing the injured Zhang Yayi just days before departure, China delivered a performance of trademark excellence to score 348.4779, comfortably ahead of Japan (334.7232) and Spain (321.1328).

The victory marked a second world title this week for Xu Huiyan, following her gold in the women’s solo technical event. The 19-year-old, who also topped the women’s solo free qualification earlier in the day, now looks set to contend for another gold in Tuesday’s final.

Speaking after the win, head coach Zhang Xiaohuan revealed the behind-the-scenes challenges the team had overcome, from injuries to last-minute changes in choreography. “This was a big test for us, but we got through it. I felt really proud of this team,” she said.

Team captain Feng Yu also reflected on the pressure of stepping in at the last minute. “Whether or not I had enough time to be prepared, I wanted to bring my best, as a form of thanks for the faith my team has in me,” she shared.

China will now turn their attention to the remaining events as they aim to close out the Championships with more podium finishes.

The artistic swimming action continues on July 21, featuring the team technical preliminary, men’s solo free final, and women’s duet technical.