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SAINT-DENIS, France — With longtime powerhouse Russia not competing at the Olympics after the invasion of Ukraine, artistic swimming has opened at the Paris Games with a rare dose of unpredictability. China led after the team technical routine, followed by Spain, Italy and France. Russia began a run of dominance at the 2000 Sydney Games, winning every Olympic gold since then in the sport formerly known as synchronized swimming — 12 straight in all. But the country has been largely shunned on the international sports stage since launching its war against Ukraine. Russia has not entered a team in a major competition in artistic swimming since the Tokyo Olympics.
