How to... artistic swim

A TV viewer can at least grasp the basic mechanics of some Olympic sports. The slowest runner knows how to run, even if not that fast. But then a group of swimmers moonwalk upside down, heads and bodies underwater with legs poking out, to Smooth Criminal, and with that all sense of understanding goes out of the window. Such was the routine of the USA artistic swimming team, who bopped and bobbed to Michael Jackson this week and set the internet alight. The team competition includes a free routine, technical routine, and acrobatic routine, with swimmers scored on factors such as execution and sychronisation. You can’t touch the bottom of the pool, you can’t wear goggles, and you need incredible lung capacity. The swimmers, by the way, hear the music through underwater speakers. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, male swimmers were eligible to compete in Paris. None were chosen.