Ukraine poised for synchro gold in Russia's absence

Everyone is looking to take advatage of Russia's absence.

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Ukraine's synchronised swimmers are savouring the opportunity to step into the limelight as Russia's absence from the free combination team event on Sunday will enable another nation to win gold at the 2018 European Championships.

Yelyzaveta Yakhno (UKR) and Anastasiya Savchuk (UKR) already have a silver medal from the technical duet on Friday, and will join the rest of their team in the hope of adding gold.

Spain, heartbroken from a 0.1 point loss to Italy for the bronze medal in the free team in Saturday's final, will aim to fight back for silver in the free combination.

"We are a little sad," Paula Ramirez I Ibanez (ESP) said after that result. "The result was so close (but) we still have four more days so we will still fight."

Another loss in this event will at least bring a consolation prize of bronze for the Spanish team.

The morning session's free solo preliminary offers spectators a second glimpse of the first gold medallist of the Championships from the technical duet, Russia’s next great hope Svetlana Kolesnichenko. She is favoured to see off the challenge from Yakhno.

Great Britain's 16-year-old Kate Shortman will be buoyed by the home crowd as she steps up for her European senior debut in the free solo aiming to qualify for the final, as she did in her senior World Championships debut in Budapest in 2017.