Spain’s Dennis Gonzalez Boneu has been voted the 2025 European Artistic Swimmer of the Year, capping a landmark season that underlined his growing influence on the sport and his role in Spain’s historic success on the world stage.
The 21-year-old secured 51.79% of the vote at the European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards after a breakthrough year that culminated at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025. There, Spain topped the medal table with nine podium finishes, with Gonzalez directly contributing to five of them — one gold, two silvers and two bronzes.
Gonzalez’s standout moment in Singapore came in the mixed duet free, where he paired with Iris Tio Casas to claim gold. The duo had already established themselves earlier in the season, winning the same event at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final in Xi’an. Gonzalez also earned silver in the mixed duet technical alongside Mireia Hernandez Luna and bronze medals in Spain’s team acrobatic and free routines.
His success extended across team competition as well. Gonzalez became the first man to represent Spain in artistic swimming team events earlier in the season at the World Cup in Somabay, helping the squad to gold and continuing his pioneering role in the discipline.
“I dreamed of this moment many times,” Gonzalez said earlier in the year after winning World Cup gold in Somabay. “I worked incredibly hard for it, and I’m proud to be part of the Spanish artistic swimming team.”
At the European Aquatics Artistic Swimming Championships in Funchal, Madeira, Gonzalez again delivered across disciplines, winning team free gold and acrobatic routine bronze. Individually, he claimed gold in the mixed duet free with Tio Casas, gold in the mixed duet technical with Hernandez, and bronze in the solo technical.
Men were first permitted to compete in Olympic artistic swimming under revised rules at Paris 2024, although no nation entered a male athlete. Gonzalez continues to chart a path he hopes will lead to Olympic participation at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Second place in the voting went to Great Britain’s Ranjuo Tomblin, who received 18.09%. The 19-year-old enjoyed a strong transition season, earning bronze medals in the solo free and mixed duet free at the European Championships, where he partnered Holly Hughes. Tomblin also reached the world podium, taking mixed duet free bronze alongside Paris 2024 silver medallist Isabelle Thorpe.
Tomblin closed his junior career earlier in the year at the European Aquatics Junior Championships in Athens, where he won gold in the men’s solo free and silver in the solo technical.
Spain’s Jordi Caceres finished third with 16.11% of the vote. The 20-year-old made his mark at the European Championships with a decisive victory in the men’s solo free.
Italy’s Filippo Pelati placed fourth on 8.28% after a breakthrough season that included a solo free bronze at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. The 18-year-old also won mixed duet technical bronze with Lucrezia Ruggiero and collected multiple medals at the European Championships, including solo silver in both technical and free routines.
Completing the shortlist was Pelati’s compatriot Gabriele Minak, who earned 5.65% of the vote. Minak impressed at the European Aquatics Junior Championships in Athens with silver in the team acrobatic routine, as well as podium finishes across solo and mixed duet events, and added men’s solo free silver at the World Cup Super Final in Xi’an.