Celebrating an “amazing” year for artistic swimming in 2024

During the last 12 months artistic swimming, as both a sport and a spectacle, has gone from strength-to-strength, with revisions to the new rules, initially introduced in 2023, providing greater fairness and transparency.

That has emboldened athletes – and their coaches, as well as choreographers – to push the boundaries and forge new frontiers.

To reflect on an astounding year World Aquatics called in the help of former British international artistic swimmer turned World Masters champion and commentator, Andrea Holland, who was present throughout each of the major competitions in 2024.

“With the new rules it’s definitely more exciting than it was previously because nobody has any idea who is going to be on top of the rostrum,” says Holland.

“The sport is continuing to grow and gain more respect within the community because it isn’t subjective and I think it’s been an absolutely fantastic year with historic results."

Doha 2024 World Aquatics Championships – 2-10 February:

As a result of postponements and delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, originally scheduled for 2023, had been moved to early 2024.

Unlike other disciplines who could use the event as an early season opportunity to prepare for Paris 2024, for artistic swimmers the event represented the final opportunity for teams and duets to qualify for the Olympic Games.

France, as hosts, as well as continental champions Egypt, Australia, China and Mexico had already secured team berths, so were already guaranteed duet spots.

Austria and New Zealand had already confirmed additional duet places through victories at their respective European and Oceanic Championships.

“There was high pressure for all nations, including the USA who had just missed out on qualifying [for the Olympics, by 0.6638 points] at the Pan American Games and this was their very last chance.”

The USA were generating more headlines than most, given their team contained legendary figure Bill May, who was bidding to become the first male artistic swimmer to compete at an Olympic Games in the sport.

They would ultimately claim bronze medals in both the free and acrobatic disciplines and secure a place at Paris 2024, with Spain, Japan, Italy and Canada also adding themselves to the line-up after three intensely fought finals.

China, as expected, were the standout nation though, winning each of the team and women’s duet disciplines.

“China don't chase after, or go for the highest difficulty routines, unlike certain other countries who go purely for difficulty and hope that pays off,” says Holland.

“I admire China and their focus because with a clean swim and their super choreography, it doesn't matter that they don't have the highest difficulty; they'll get it on their artistic score and the way that they swim it.

“That's actually really nice to see and hopefully some other countries can learn from that.”

History would be made elsewhere in Doha too, with the Netherlands and Great Britain both achieving World Championship duet honours for the first time.

They, as well as Greece, Israel, Ukraine and South Korea, would attain the remaining Olympic quota places for Paris 2024.

Canadian Jacqueline Simoneau and Evangelia Platanioti of Greece each secured landmark solo successes. Italian Giorgio Minisini, who would retire from the sport later in 2024, claimed the final major title of his career with victory in the male solo free event, with Yang Shuncheng of China winning the men’s solo technical final.

The mixed duet honours would be shared between China’s Cheng Wentao / Shi Haoyu (free routine) and Kazakhstan’s Nargiza Bolatova / Eduard Kim.

“It was massive for Kazakhstan to get a gold medal,” remarks Holland.

“They are putting a lot into the sport and also have males in their team as well, so their efforts have really paid off this year, which is great to see.”

World Cup 1 – Beijing, China – 5-7 April:

With the Olympic qualifiers confirmed each individual nation then embarked upon a very different set of plans for pre-Games preparations, which resulted in smaller than usual fields lining up for each of the World Cup stops.

Hosts China dominated, but their Olympic line-up would only appear in one of the three disciplines – team free – with the other finals filled by emerging talents.

Fellow Paris-bound team Australia performed across each of the disciplines, with Kazakhstan showing further evidence of their growing potential with victory in the acrobatic event.

Israeli duo Shelly Bobritsky and Ariel Nassee gave a glimpse of what they hoped to show at the summer Olympics, with an impressive showing to win the women’s duet free event.

Filippo Pelati claimed the first two golds, in what would be a highly successful year for the teenager, with victory in the men’s solo free and mixed duet free, alongside Flaminia Vernice.

World Cup 2 – Paris, France – 3-5 May:

Artistic swimmers had the honour of being the first athletes to sample the new Paris 2024 Aquatics Centre in Saint Denis with the second World Cup of the season doubling up as an official test event for the Olympic Games.

Unsurprisingly this competition saw the highest number of participants take to the World Cup waters during the 2024 season and fans were treated to three days of high-class performances as athletes experienced a dress-rehearsal for the main event three months later.

2023 World champion Alexandri sisters, Anna-Maria and Eirini-Marina, who had struggled with a combination of illness and injury earlier in the year, demonstrated their Olympic medal-winning potential with an impressive duet free victory.

Fellow triplet Vasiliki Alexandri claimed the women’s solo double, with Colombian Gustavo Sanchez achieving the same in the men’s equivalent.

Britain’s Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe, who had claimed two historic World Championship medals at Doha 2024, seized the opportunity to claim their first World Cup victory (duet technical), in the absence of Austria and the Netherlands.

China’s Olympic line-up had remained at home to continue their preparations for the Games, giving Mexico the chance to claim the acrobatic and technical titles, with Spain and Japan also impressing.

The USA’s performances were somewhat inconsistent: bronze in the acrobatic final, but sixth in the technical and free events suggested they had problems to fix.

Their solution, be-it somewhat controversial, became clear later that month.

World Cup 3 – Markham, Canada – 31 May-2 June:

As had been speculated, the ‘godfather’ of artistic swimming Bill May did not appear in the USA’s starting line-up for the final regular World Cup of the season.

The nation did not appear in the acrobatic event, while they worked on a new routine, but did perform well across the other disciplines, winning the free and placing third in the tech events.

The Alexandri sisters added a World Cup duet tech success to their duet free win in Paris, while there were also strong showings from Audrey Lamothe / Jacqueline Simoneau of Canada, Japan’s Higa Moe / Sato Tomoka, as well as from Ukrainian twins Maryna and Vladyslava Aleksiiva.

Dennis Gonzalez Boneu marked his return to fitness after surgery with victories alongside Emma Garcia (mixed duet free) and Mireia Hernandez Luna (mixed duet free).

European Aquatics Championships – Belgrade, Serbia – 10-16 June:

With less than six weeks to go until the Olympic Games, many of those preparing for Paris 2024 opted to either skip, or compete sporadically, during the 2024 Europeans.

The team event generally featured nations who were looking to give some of their emerging athletes experience of performing in a major competition environment.

Spain was a notable exception though, with their full-strength side delivering an outstanding, gold medal-winning performance in the technical final, before leaving Serbia to continue preparations back in their homeland.

“Of course, nothing is guaranteed at all with the rules, but from the way they were competing, (you could see) they were absolutely in with the chance of medals at the Olympic Games,” recalls Holland, who was commentating for European Aquatics in Belgrade.

The duet events were highly contested though between some of the best artistic swimmers on the planet.

The continued rivalry between World Championship medallists the Netherlands and Great Britain provided arguably the greatest entertainment of Belgrade 2024.

Despite health challenges leading into the event, the Dutch de Brouwer twins, Bregje and Noortje managed to ‘do the double’ over British rivals Izzy Thorpe and Kate Shortman.

Israel’s Shelly Bobritsky and Ariel Nassee took bronze in each discipline.

World Cup Super Final – Budapest, Hungary – 5-7 July:

The Super Final saw the best-performing athletes from the World Cup season unite in Hungary for one final pre-Olympic Games artistic swimming showdown.

The new-look USA were the outstanding performers across the three days of competition, winning each of the team events in stunning style.

China was absent, but the USA still demonstrated Olympic medal-winning potential by defeating fellow Paris 2024 bound nations such as Mexico, Canada and Australia.

While several of the leading Olympic duet contenders were training elsewhere, the duet line-ups were still strong and Canadian duo Audrey Lamothe / Jacqueline Simoneau as well as Ukrainian twins Maryna and Vladyslava Aleksiiva claimed the respective free and tech titles.

Emma Garcia rounded off her competitive career with a final victory alongside Dennis Gonzalez Boneu in the mixed duet free, with Gonzalez Boneu also winning the mixed duet tech and men solo tech events.

Olympic Games – Paris, France – 5-10 August:

The sport has changed dramatically in the three years since the postponed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 saw athletes from the Russian Olympic Committee, China and Ukraine claim respective gold, silver and bronze medals across the team and duet disciplines.

The new rules have presented new opportunities for a host of nations since their introduction in 2023, giving those who lined up in Paris renewed hope of mounting serious medal charges.

“For the team (competition) we always knew it was going to be sensational, because it was technical team, added to free team, added to acrobatic team, equals the medals,” says Holland.

“One mistake by any of the countries meant that they wouldn't be on the podium, so for the athletes, it was extremely intense, but for the audience, it was fascinating.”

History would be made in Paris’ brand-new aquatic centre, as China won its first-ever Olympic gold medals in the sport; securing both the team and duet titles.

“China swam superbly,” continues Holland.

“They absolutely deserve to take the overall gold and with Feng Yu chosen as a flag bearer for the opening ceremony for China, that was huge for artistic swimming too.”

The USA put their pre-Games selection dilemmas firmly in the past by claiming silver in what was their first team appearance at an Olympics since Beijing 2008.

Spain claimed a first Olympic podium since London 2012 with team bronze, while there were historic firsts in the duet competition.

Behind China’s Wang twins, Qianyi and Liuyi, were Great Britain’s Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe, followed by Dutch duo Bregje and Noortje de Brouwer, each winning their nation’s first-ever Olympic medals in the sport.

“It was absolutely incredible to watch and be part of it,” Holland tells World Aquatics.

“To see Spain getting Olympic medals and the USA after the journey they'd had – missing out at the Pan American Games, managing to qualify in Doha, then taking the risk of doing a new acrobatic team routine literally weeks before the Olympic Games – unbelievable.

“The duets, wow, Katie and Izzy (Great Britain) were in fourth place after technical and had the swim of their lives to take silver ahead of the Netherlands, that competitiveness was extraordinary.”

The Future – ‘Exciting’ 2025 Campaign in Store:

The ninth season of the Artistic Swimming World Cup will commence in Paris in February and run from 28 Feb-2 March at the iconic Piscine Georges Vallerey, which was used during the 1924 Olympic Games.

The second leg sees the circuit return to Egypt and the stunning resort of Hurghada (11-13 April) before the ‘regular’ World Cup season concludes in Markham, Canada (1-3 May).

The top 12 ranked individuals, duets and teams will then return for the prestigious Super Final in Xi’an, China, which takes place from 13-15 June.

The following month will see the best artistic swimmers on the planet seek success at the World Aquatics Championships, Singapore 2025.

The contests will take place between 18-25 July and promise to be spectacular shows at the start of the new Olympic Games cycle, heading towards Los Angeles 2028.