Abel's team finishes fifth at FINA World Championships

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — The synchronized swimming portion of the 2007 FINA World Championships concluded March 24 with the team free final. The championships featured the solo, duet, team and combination events in the elite international competition.

Team USA placed fifth in the final event with a score of 95.834. Russia once again dominated the medal stand with a near-perfect 99.000. Spain (98.500), Japan (97.334) and China (96.334) followed.

Earlier in the week, Team USA claimed the bronze medal in the free combination routine final. The combo always proves to be a fan favorite, as it incorporates five different routines into one seven-minute program.

The US National Team consists of Brooke Abel (Fallbrook, CA), Janet Culp (Littleton, CO), Jennie Culp (Littleton, CO), Kate Hooven (Pleasanton, CA), Christina Jones (Fremont, CA), Becky Kim (Walnut Creek, CA), Meghan Kinney (Mission Viejo, CA), Andrea Nott (San Jose, CA), Annabelle Orme (Walnut Creek, CA), Jillian Penner (Seattle, WA), Kim Probst (Troy, NY) and Layla Smith (Boulder, CO).