Turns Out, Sometimes Olympic Artistic Swimmers Look Like Water Zombies

Artistic swimmers may be some of the most elegant athletes at the Olympics, with their strength and ability to dance in water in perfect sync. But when still photos of their performances are captured, the swimmers seem to be possessed by the water and part of a completely different type of performance.

Artistic swimmers Svetlana Romashina and Svetlana Kolesnichenko of Team Russian Olympic Committee won the gold in Tokyo on Wednesday with their arachnid-themed routine to the song "Spiders."

It is the sixth Olympic gold medal for Romashina, who said, “I don’t count medals. I just want to feel this moment.”

China’s Huang Xuechen and Sun Wenyan earned the silver with their snake-themed performance.“We were hoping the snake would beat the spider," said Sun.

Ukraine’s Marta Fedina and Anastasiya Savchuk took the bronze, making them the first to win a medal in the artistic swimming event for their country.

These photos show their intensity and skill in an event that combines athleticism, drama, and precision — all while in a pool.