Spain Wins Two Silver Medals at European Artistic Swimming Championships

Spain Opens European Championships Account with Two Artistic Silvers

Spain opened its medal account at the European Aquatics Championships with a pair of silver medals, securing podium finishes in both the free routine duet and the free mixed duet events. The Spanish artistic swimming team captured second place behind strong performances from rival federations, leaving the squad just fractions of a point short of the gold medals.

Lluis and Tió Settle for Duet Silver Behind Alexandri Sisters

Entering the free routine duet final as reigning world champions, Lilou Lluis and Iris Tió targeted the top step of the podium after topping the preliminary round ahead of entries from Greece and Russia. The Spanish duo performed their routine titled “Essence of Femininity,” earning a score of 315.6442 points from the judges. That mark left them seven tenths of a point lower than their preliminary output.

Despite a slight improvement in their artistic impression score, Lluis and Tió could not hold off a surging Greek entry. Anna Maria and Eirini Marina Alexandri, competing under the Greek flag after eleven successful seasons representing Austria, delivered a sublime performance of their routine titled “A Tale of Two Vampire Sisters.” The Alexandri sisters improved upon their preliminary score by nearly four points, totaling 316.3315 points to edge the Spanish pair by 0.6873 points.

Thorpe and Tomblin Deny González and Tió Gold in Mixed Event

In the mixed free duet final, Dennis González and Iris Tió added Spain’s second silver medal of the championships. The pair, who claimed gold at the European Championships in Funchal the previous year, delivered an emotional interpretation of Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” in the artistic component of the event.

Judges ultimately awarded the gold medal to the British duo of Isabelle Thorpe and Ranjuo Tomblin. According to competition analysis, the decisive factor proved to be the higher degree of difficulty embedded in the British routine compared to the Spanish pair’s program. González and Tió maximized their artistic execution to compensate for the gap in base difficulty, but finished just two tenths of a point shy of the gold.

Neutral Russian Entries Return to Continental Podiums

The competition also marked the return of Russian competitors to the continental stage under a neutral banner, participating for the first time since 2021 following international sports sanctions. Maiia Doroshko and Aleksandra Shmidt demonstrated notable speed and execution to secure the bronze medal in the free routine events with a total of 310.4407 points.

Spanish Coaching Staff Target Technical Difficulty Increases

Spanish coaching staff noted following the events that closing the narrow gaps against international competitors will require raising the technical difficulty degree of future routines. With continental competition underway, the Spanish artistic swimming squad turns its focus toward upcoming international circuit stops and further evaluation of routine configurations.