Dressing up as Red Army soldier not enough for gold in first-ever mixed-gender synchronized swimming duets

One of the biggest swimming competitions on the planet, the International Swimming Federation's World Aquatics Championships, is happening in Russia this month and next. Last weekend, the tournament handed out medals for the first-ever mixed-gender synchronized swimming duets. An American pair, Bill May and Christina Jones, narrowly edged out Russian favorites, Aleksander Maltsev and Darina Valitova, for first place. 

The Russian team's trainer, Tatiana Porkovskaya, told the newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta that she views the second-place finish as a positive sign, saying Maltsev has improved his swimming dramatically in the past six months. 

Online, Maltsev's swimsuit has attracted some attention. He wore a leotard designed to look like a Red Army uniform from the Second World War, complete with a belt buckle, a shoulder strap, and an epaulet.