Colombian Gustavo Sanchez is breaking down barriers in and out of the pool, and his medal in the Men’s Solo Technical at Doha 2024 is another chapter in the burgeoning international career of Latin America’s pre-eminent artistic swimmer.
When Colombia’s Gustavo Sanchez was presented with his bronze medal in the Men’s Solo Technical at the World Aquatics Championships - Doha 2024, his first thoughts were not those of greater success or even of chasing another medal in the forthcoming Men’s Solo Free later this week. Instead, Sanchez was reflecting on the importance of his medal winning routine, not just for those back home in Colombia, but for the broader Latin American region.
From the sport’s first appearance at the inaugural World Aquatics Championships in Belgrade in 1973, Artistic Swimming has been dominated by northern hemisphere athletes. Of the more than 350 medals that have been won across twenty-one different championships just two have returned home south of the equator.
The first, a silver medal in the inaugural Men’s Solo Free event at Fukuoka 2023. The second, a bronze medal in the Men’s Solo Technical event here at Doha 2024. Both were won by Sanchez.
While the 23-year-old is humble enough to not consider himself a trailblazer in his own right, there is no doubting he is single-handedly inspiring the next generation of swimmers from not just Colombia but the broader Latin American region.
Speaking to World Aquatics during the medal winners parade after the Men’s Solo Technical, Sanchez was quick to reflect on what his success means for his sport and his nation.
“I hope that my effort and these good results will serve as an inspiration for young Colombian athletes and for artistic swimmers from other countries too,” said Sanchez.
“It is hard for Latin American athletes to compete in this particular sport which is so heavily dominated by European and Asian swimmers, but I hope that my performance and results here in Doha will serve as an example to every Latin American athlete that dreams can come true.”
Sanchez’s medal on day four of competition in Doha is already having an impact back home. Colombia’s Nicolas Tascon, who was 12th in the Men’s Solo Free at the World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships in Greece last year, told World Aquatics the morning after Sanchez’s medal winning swim that watching his fellow countryman medal in Doha from back home in Colombia had been inspiring and empowering.
“For me, as part of the next generation of artistic swimmers, it generates great pride,” Tascon told World Aquatics.
“And as a fellow Colombian, to see someone who has worked so hard to be the best of the best in the sport, and then achieve such success at the highest level possible, is just so inspiring.”
“As a junior swimmer, it makes me want to make history for my country, for everyone to know who I am, and to be like Gustavo and be one of the best artistic swimmers in the world.”
While Sanchez is quick to assert that there were male Colombian artistic swimmers before him it is his international success that has finally put the sport on the map.
His Gwangju 2019 and Budapest 2022 appearances at the World Aquatics Championships generated little fanfare back home, but when he medalled at Fukuoka 2023 and became just the third Colombian to ever to win a World Aquatics Championships medal, it sent shockwaves through the sport and Sanchez returned to airport welcomes, press conferences, and public celebrations of his success.
After his medal in Fukuoka Sanchez told World Aquatics that there had been many people along the way that didn’t believe in his dream.
“This medal shows that it can be done,” said Sanchez.
“And hopefully it will help open doors for the next generation, doors that weren’t necessarily held open for me.”
Now in Doha, seven months later, and with another medal and even greater success to his name, Sanchez is becoming a true catalyst for change in not just Colombia, but throughout all of Latin America, if not the world.