Cuba qualified for the first time to an artistic swimming final at a World Championships, by advancing this Friday in its debut with mixed duet to the medal dispute in Budapest, Hungary.

Havana, June 25 (RHC)-- Cuba qualified for the first time to an artistic swimming final at a World Championships, by advancing this Friday in its debut with mixed duet to the medal dispute in Budapest, Hungary.

In the tournament of this discipline in the 19th edition of the World Aquatic Sports Championships, Cuba made its debut with a male representative in the so-called synchronized swimming.

The debutant Andy Manuel Ávila and one of the leaders of artistic swimming in Cuba, Soila Carelys Valdés, reached with 64.5333 points the dispute for the podium in the free routines, which will take place today, Saturday, in the Hungarian capital.

The Cuban couple finished the preliminary phase in 12th place among 13 pairs led by Italy (90.5000), Japan (88.9000) and China (87.8333).

Soila and Andy, who only 10 months ago began to put together the mixed duet, are the first Cubans to pass the elimination stage in the competition, after the participation of two other artistic swimmers and four swimmers in the long course pool.

Thus, they improved their previous performance, since last Saturday, with 62.6229 units in the technical routine, they were last in the table of 13 competing duets, led by Italy (88.5734), Japan (85.8086) and China (84.8232).

The only thing missing is the debut of the six Cuban divers in the great event that is taking place from June 17 to July 3 and is of strategic importance for Cuban aquatic athletes on their way to the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Pan American Games in 2023.