With the tenth season of the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme commencing in September, we ‘check in’ with some of the scholarship recipients in Fukuoka to learn how the scholarship programme will help them fulfil their potential.
Ranjuo Tomblin & Beatrice Crass | Artistic Swimming | Great Britain
This trailblazing pair of artistic swimmers from Great Britain continue to make history back home following their recent medal winning performance at the European Games in Poland.
Tomblin & Crass became the nation’s first-ever artistic swimming medallists at a European Games winning bronze in the Mixed Duet Technical. The pair are now aiming to bring that European success to the world stage with an eye-catching ‘Charleston’ inspired performance in Fukuoka.
The pair are one of two Mixed Duet artistic swimming pairings (along with eight female duets) selected for the tenth season of the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme. The world-leading scholarship programme helps identify and create optimal training environments for athletes aspiring to represent their countries at the next World Aquatics Championships & Olympic Games, while providing them with professional support to reach their full potential.
Nineteen year-old Crass told World Aquatics that receiving the scholarship was a big surprise and that the news had further empowered and inspired the pair to keep making artistic swimming history for their home country.
“We are so grateful that World Aquatics saw the potential in us to be able to get this scholarship and we’re just excited to keep working and use the scholarship to help our progression and push us as much as possible,” said Crass.
“Especially being artistic swimmers in Great Britain,” Tomblin added.
“It will mean we can now have training camps, we can get the correct equipment we need, and we can go to more competitions.”
For 17-year-old Tomblin, the scholarship comes at a perfect time as he prepares for a life post-college and weighs up a potential move to Great Britain’s fulltime artistic swimming program in the English city of Bristol.
“Currently I am still at college but I think I’m planning on moving to Bristol this year so we can get proper fulltime training as a duet and really progress for next year’s World Aquatics Championships,” Tomblin told World Aquatics.
“The beginning of this season I was only training part time as I still had full time college, so it was mainly only Thursday, Friday & Saturday that we could training together.”
Despite living in separate cities and balancing college and university with training, the pair continues to excel on the European stage, and with the empowerment and support of the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme, will no doubt be the duet to watch both here in Fukuoka and in Doha in 2024.
Tomblin is competing in the Men Solo Free, Men Solo Technical, Mixed Duet Free & Mixed Duet Technical. Crass joins Tomblin for the Mixed Duet Free & Mixed Duet Technical, and is also competing in the Mixed Team Free.
The 'Fukuoka Four' with Ranjuo and Beatrice
#1 - Swimming Idol
Crass: A lot of the Spanish team. Just watching them swim, that energy, those performances, they were just incredible.
Tomblin: Obviously Bill May. I wouldn’t be here without him, and to see him actually here is just incredible. He’s such an inspiration.
#2 - Favourite Pool
Crass: The ‘Super Final’ in Oviedo (Spain) this year. I really liked how the training pools were outside so you get that outdoor experience, but then you go inside and there’s all the lights, cameras & big screens – it was just a really cool experience.
Tomblin: The Junior European Championships in Malta, I loved that pool. It was outside, it was like 40 degrees every day, and it was such a nice pool.
#3 - Pump-Up Song
Crass: Freedom by Beyonce & Kendrick Lamar, or anything Beyonce really.
Tomblin: Yes anything Beyonce!
#4 – Post Competition Plans
Tomblin: Unfortunately we have no time to see Japan as we have the Junior European Championships straight after this.
Crass: Yes I think we only have about three of four days of training and then fly out to Portugal.
About the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme
Launched in 2014 with the aim of increasing the level of aquatics athletes in countries around the globe, the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme has just announced the scholarship recipient athletes for its tenth season. The main goal of the World Aquatics Scholarships Programme is to identify and create an optimal training environment for athletes aspiring to represent their countries at the next World Aquatics Championships and the Olympic Games. The programme aims to support athletes with greater needs and help them reach their full potential.