London 2012 Olympics: synchronised swimming team final in pictures

Australia's team looking confident ahead of their Free Routine final. They went for a remix of AC/DC hits, ending with one swimmer raised out of the pool making horn gestures while being lowered into the water, like Terminator in a bikini. They came last
Photograph: Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images

Australia's team prepare for a big move underwater. Years of training went into this. The crowd loved it – the judges less so
Photograph: Michael Dalder/Reuters

Canada, sporting the competition's best hats as part of their Cirque du Soleil routine, pose poolside before finishing fourth Photograph: Michael Dalder/Reuters

Synchronised swimming humour: Canada strike a pose towards the judges. If footballers did this they'd be booked Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Silver medal winners China hurl one of their swimmers into the air where she 'rolled multiple times like a log' before hitting the water. A proper crowd pleaser.
Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Japan only managed to finish fifth despite a strong track record in the sport. In this athletic routine, swimmers aim to grab the fish from the trainer's hand. Maybe Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Like the Chinese routine, Japan's session included flying, but failed to impress. They ended without a synchronised swimming medal for the first time since the sport was introduced at the Olympics in 1984 Photograph: MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images

Spain's team set out their theme for the final: aggressive sea creatures in makeup. Their athletic and surreal mix of sea-based movements, imitating crab pincers and waves, won them bronze Photograph: MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images

Passion from Egypt, but not synchronised passion. They came second to last Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Team GB, making their Olympic debut with a Peter Pan theme, earned sixth place, their pre-Games target. Jennifer Knobbs said: 'We really felt like a team underwater. Hearing the crowd cheering, supporting us all the way, gives you a real boost.' Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

More from Spain's mirror-suited team. Impressive agility and poise on the way to winning bronze. It would have been silver but for a fractionally lower synchronisation score than their Chinese rivals Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

And this is how it's done. The Russians scored 197.030 points on the way to gold, doing acrobatic flips backed by the songs War and Step by Denis Garnizov. They have now won every duet and team gold since the Sydney Games. Anzhelika Timanina said: 'We have a lot of emotions. We are an amazing team.' Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images