After a winning debut of the new routine at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup in Paris (FRA) in February, the team then made further improvements in the second leg in Somabay (EGY).

In Markham (CAN), the highly-fancied line-up lived up to their pre-event ‘favourites’ tag with their highest score of the season – 279.4640 – to ensure they topped the podium again, this time ahead of Japan and USA.

There were also victories for their national team-mates Mireia Hernandez and Dennis Gonzalez in the Mixed Duet Tech, while Xu Huiyan (CHN) and Ranjuo Tomblin (GBR) claimed solo successes on the first of three days in the Canadian city.

Open Team Technical – Spain, Japan and USA Deliver Spectacular Show

The Team Technical contest is always a key-one-to-watch in any Artistic Swimming contest and the 10 strong line-up, featuring nations from five continents, certainly delivered for the enthusiastic audience assembled for the opening day of action in Markham.

Although they did not quite achieve a place on the podium missing out narrowly in fourth, the Italian team are delivering encouraging signs in this new era for the sport, having previously struggled with the new rule adaptation.

They would ultimately achieve an overall total which was just over one point short of the USA in third, but showed enough to suggest they will soon be regular medal contenders again.

The American swimmers have made improvements to the ‘Peacock’ themed routine since they last demonstrated it at the World Cup in Paris and are confident they will be medal-contenders come the World Championships in Singapore in July.

Japan too will also expect to be in the mix after a highly impressive choreographed ‘basketball’ inspired routine, which attained an overall score of 271.4275.

Ultimately no nation was able to challenge the seemingly all-conquering Spanish side, who have made significant steps since recruiting their most decorated Olympic athlete, Andrea Fuentes, as their head coach, after she guided the USA to silver at Paris 2024.

The team scored 279.4640 and insist their passion for the music only grows, despite the repetitive nature of training.

“This is the best technical team I’ve swam in,” Olympic bronze medallist Paula Ramirez told World Aquatics.

“I am a super-fan of the Backstreet Boys, I went to a concert with my friends a few years ago in Barcelona and at the beginning I didn’t think it was possible, but it’s so much fun to perform not just now, but every day to swim with music you can also dance with.”

USA Olympic silver medallist Jamie Czarkowski believes her team are benefitting from a refreshed coaching line-up and strong team dynamic.  

“Our goal was to swim the best that we could and we didn’t really focus on a placement, we just wanted to do our best with no base-marks and improve from Paris and I think we did that, so we’re very pleased,” she told World Aquatics.

“We’re learning a lot from Tammy (McGregor, new head coach) as she’s very tech focused which has been good for us, but we also really learn from one another as well as our assistance coaches and we’re looking forward for the rest of the competition.”

Mixed Duet Technical – Spanish duo win again

While there is still a lingering sense of disappointment in the sport following the news that the Mixed Duet discipline will not be part of the Olympic programme for the LA 2028 Games, those competing are determined to prove the discipline is worthy of a place.

A renewed effort to push for Brisbane 2032 will inevitably grow in the coming years, but in the here-and-now, the field assembled in Markham showed just why there is so much excitement about the potential of pairing female and male athletes.

Dennis Gonzalez and Mireia Hernandez claimed the European title together in Belgrade last summer and made a winning return as a duet in Somabay last month.

They were pushed hard by emerging Chinese talents Guo Sitong and Shi Haoyue, who would ultimately finish just 2.6550 points behind the Spaniards. Hernandez and Gonzalez again proved there are the duet to beat at this level with a strong display, even if they felt it was a far from perfect delivery of the ‘hip hop’ themed routine, inspired by the movie ‘Step Up’.

“We had a bit of a mistake in the competition, but we tried to keep going with the choreography and achieve our goal, which was the gold medal, but we’re going to try and keep improving,” Hernandez told World Aquatics.

Guo and Shi insisted their strength comes from not only their passion for the sport, but their mutual appreciate of one another outside of the water, which helps them push to attain their true potential.

Completing the podium places and edging the second Spanish pairing of Jordi Caceres and Aurora Lazaro into fourth, were the Mexican duet Regina Alferez and Diego Villalobos.

“We have only been together for two months,” revealed Alferez. “It was my coaches’ idea, she asked if I’d like to do the mixed duet and I said I would love to!

“I think my experience matched with his freshness is a really good combination. We didn’t expect a medal and I don’t expect a medal, we just try to give the best version of us.”

Women’s Solo Technical – Xu wins high-class battle with Casas as Alexandri returns 

Triple World junior champion Xu Huiyan (CHN) delivered her best performance of the season to date with an outstanding display in the Women’s Solo Technical final to claim first gold of the 2025 World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup in Markham, Canada.

The third leg of the series serves as the final opportunity for athletes to book places at the Super Final which takes place in Xi’an, China, from 13-15 June.

China, a nation which claimed Olympic titles in both the Team and Duet disciplines at Paris 2024, aims to show further evidence of their potential to dominate this sport in their home nation and Xu has given their fans further belief, despite the absence of Olympic stars following post-Games breaks.

Performing to the ‘Lovesickness’ routine she debuted earlier in 2025, Xu attained a colossal overall total of 252.3116, which was more than 13 points higher than she attained at the Paris World Cup in February.

“I didn't expect anything before the competition as my body condition was not at the best,” Xu told World Aquatics. “I’m a little bit sick before the competition, especially on the way to Canada.

“So, right before the competition, I just focused on myself, focused on the routine, focused on the technique and tried to do the best.”

That day Spain’s Olympic bronze medallist Iris Tio Casas had taken gold, but she was forced to settle for silver on this occasion, with a total of 246.4850.

“I watched China (XU) and I think she did a really amazing swim and improved in artistic impression and especially the elements, so she did a really good job, but I think I’m doing a really good job in every competition and improving with small steps,” she said.

“I would say I liked my arms, the way that I moved them and the way that I looked at the judges, but we have five elements and I would say my last element, I would like to be higher.”

Completing the podium places and making a welcome return to the sport is two-time World medallist Vasiliki Alexandri (AUT), who had not competed since claiming two solo titles at the 2024 Europeans in Belgrade (SRB) last June.

“The goal from the beginning was a medal,” Alexandri tells World Aquatics. “There are of course things you can improve, but I’m very happy with the way I swam in my first competition for 11 months”

Men’s Solo Technical – Tomblin Returns To Solo Summit 

The next to take to the pool were the men for their Solo Technical final and for the third event in a row, Ranjuo Tomblin (GBR) claimed a podium place. 

Not only that, but the young Briton secured his second victory, following Mixed Duet Tech success in Paris earlier in the year.

The teenager landed a maiden major individual title with European Solo Free gold last summer and is now enjoying his best World Cup season to date.

“I would say this season it’s going better than any season I’ve had,” he said enthusiastically about his routine which matches classic with contemporary dance and aims to short the elegant side of male artistic swimming.

“I maybe feel like in previous seasons I could have pushed more and I feel this year is my year and I keep getting the rewards. 

“We had another set of rule changes (for the 2025 season) and I think it’s really playing to our strengths and it’s really nice to be able to mix more of the artistic impression into the hybrids.”

Double World junior solo champion Diego Villalobos Carrillo (MEX) won the first senior solo honour of his career, with silver and a score which was just 3.3000 short of victory.

“I came to the competition to improve with my new routine, and I think I did that,” he said.

“I’m a World junior champion, so this (senior solo podium) is new for me and I’m proud of my work and how I express myself in the water, so I really love it.”

Rounding off the top-three was Colombia’s highly decorated star Gustavo Sanchez, who delivered a highly charged performance and it soon became apparent why he was demonstrating so much emotion in the water.

“I felt I swam with my heart and with my family, because my boyfriend (Sebastian Cuenca) is in the hospital, and it was emotional to come here.

“He will be okay, but I swam for him and I’m happy with the result.”

Check out the Full World Cup Schedule in Markham