“It’s going to be like nothing we’ve seen before,” says European champion Emma Garcia of Spain who is “excited and optimistic” about the future of her sport heading towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
A star-studded lineup will return to the water in Paris for the season-opening World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup, the first major competition for the sport since the French capital hosted the Olympic Games.
The three-day event, running from 28 February to 2 March, will feature Paris 2024 medallists from the USA and Spain, along with a host of athletes aiming to take their first steps toward success at the World Championships in Singapore this summer.
That journey will begin at the Piscine Georges Vallerey, which hosted the swimming competitions at the 1924 Olympic Games. Recently renovated, the venue served as a key training base for artistic swimming during the most recent Summer Olympics—exactly 100 years later.
In the seven months since Paris 2024, several high-profile athletes, including Linda Cerruti (ITA), Marta Fiedina (UKR), and Jacqueline Simoneau (CAN), have announced their retirement, creating opportunities for new stars to emerge.
Another athlete who has stepped away from competition is two-time World medallist and European artistic swimming champion Emma Garcia (ESP).
Ahead of the first World Cup of the 2025 season, she shared her thoughts with World Aquatics on what the new year might bring.
“I think it’s going to be really interesting, not only to see which athletes will return and who the new names are but also to see the difference the changes (with new rules) make between before the Olympics and afterwards,” says Garcia.
“I’m hoping to see more artistic elements, and it will be really great to see athletes able to express their feelings in the water and swim with passion again.”
Olympic Medallists Return to Paris
While the history-making Olympic duet podium finishers from China, Great Britain, and the Netherlands will miss the opening World Cup due to extended post-Games breaks, nine team Olympic medallists will compete in France.
The third-place Spanish line-up includes six of the eight athletes from Paris 2024, while a largely new-look USA team retains three silver medallist performers.
The Spanish team will focus only on the technical events at this first World Cup stop. However, under new head coach Andrea Fuentes—who led the USA to silver before returning to her homeland after the Games—they will bring a fresh approach.
Fuentes aims to unify the program, integrating athletes competing in traditional duet and team events with those in mixed disciplines and solo performances.
Her appointment, along with Spain’s Olympic success, has generated renewed optimism, which Garcia believes gives the team significant momentum heading into the new Olympic cycle.
“It was something really special because they worked so, so, so hard, and it was a really powerful achievement,” Garcia tells World Aquatics.
“They are working now with smiles on their faces because they know what’s possible and that they can achieve their dreams.
“It’s also great for the juniors to see that and realise that if they keep pushing and make it onto the senior team, they too can fight for this.”
The USA replaced Fuentes with Olympian Tammy McGregor, who has decided to keep team leader and Olympic medallist Anita Alvarez out of the World Cup line-up to allow her time to “shift her focus” after completing Basic Military Training.
The new-look squads will compete in the Technical and Acrobatic finals in Paris. The team expressed excitement about its “powerhouse” group, which is “determined to continue making history in the sport in 2025 and beyond.”
Ones to Watch in Paris
Host nation France will field the largest number of athletes, looking to build on its impressive fourth-place finish at the home Olympics.
“France will definitely be an interesting team to watch, but there are so many others, like Kazakhstan, who are sending the second-largest number of athletes,” says Garcia.
“It’s good for the sport to see (traditionally) smaller countries investing in artistic swimming, so that’s really positive.”
China won its first-ever Olympic artistic swimming gold medals at Paris 2024, claiming victory in both the Team and Duet disciplines.
Although only two Chinese competitors will participate in this World Cup stop, spectators will see two of the country’s rising stars—Guo Muye and Xu Huiyan. Both are three-time junior World champions, and Huiyan was part of China’s senior World bronze-medal-winning Acrobatic team at Doha 2024.
Japan, under the guidance of new head coach Miyakawa Miya, will introduce many younger athletes, though the team still includes three Olympians. Among them is Moe Higa, who won Japan’s first World Championship gold in artistic swimming in 22 years, taking the Tech duet title at Fukuoka 2023.
World champion Dennis Gonzalez (ESP) and European gold medallist Ranjuo Tomblin (GBR) will be among the top male solo competitors to watch, while Klara Bleyer (GER) will aim to build on a breakthrough 2024 season, in which she recorded four World Cup podium finishes.
A New Focus on Male Artistic Swimmers
For the first time in Olympic history, male artistic swimmers were eligible to compete in Paris 2024. While many hoped this would mark a significant step toward equality in the sport, none of the qualifying nations ultimately selected a male athlete, partly due to concerns about how they would be scored in traditionally female-dominated disciplines.
Artistic swimming rules continue to evolve, and while it remains uncertain whether Mixed Duet will be included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program, it is widely anticipated that men will be fully integrated into Team events.
Garcia, who achieved European bronze in an all-female team in 2018 and won World bronze in 2022, found her greatest success in mixed duet events. A strong advocate for men’s inclusion in the sport, she believes Paris spectators will see this progress first-hand.
“I think there’s definitely going to be more focus on men competing in this sport—not just in Duet or Solo, but in Team events—and it’s going to be really exciting to see,” says the two-time World medallist.
“It’s exciting to mix feminine and masculine energy to create a story because it shows something different and is magical to watch.
“Having male and female athletes together creates something unique because they can both really impress you in different ways.”
It’s exciting to mix feminine and masculine energy to create a story because it shows something different and is magical to watch. “Having male and female athletes together creates something unique because they can both really impress you in different ways.”
Her former teammate Dennis Gonzalez (ESP) is expected to join the Spanish Team later in the season. However, he will focus on the Duet and Solo events in Paris as he recovers from a knee injury.
Artistic Optimism Heading Toward LA 2028
For the first time in Olympic artistic swimming history, medals were won by nations from three continents last summer, demonstrating the impact of new rules in creating opportunities.
With further adjustments aimed at enhancing artistic expression, Garcia is confident the sport is moving in a positive direction as it builds toward the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore and the next Olympics in 2028.
“With the rule changes, it’s going to be really great for the athletes—they will be able to swim with passion again, express themselves in the water, and not have to focus on hybrids,” insists Garcia.
“With the rule changes, it’s going to be really great for the athletes—they will be able to swim with passion again, express themselves in the water, and not have to focus on hybrids.”
“There is a lot of excitement because everything can change in seconds. It’s a really interesting time, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next few years because I know the athletes are so motivated.”
Garcia concludes, “It’s going to be like nothing we’ve seen before.”