Russia rounded off an outstanding competition by claiming all three titles and topping the medal standings on the final day of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Hungary.
Heading into the penultimate day Russia had secured titles from five events, before Spain secured a golden double on Saturday. However, the nation whose athletes won all 11 disciplines at the 2026 European Juniors were back to their best for the finale.
Following a highly entertaining and competitive preliminary round on Thursday the top 12 athletes returned for the Women’s Solo Free final and duly delivered another enthralling contest.
Such is Russia’s strength-in-depth that they have different athletes contesting each of the Solo disciplines in Budapest, with Solo Technical champion Aleksandra Zavialova (RUS) replaced by fellow European champion Ekaterina Shtatnova (RUS) for the Solo Free event.
Shtatnova was outstanding in the initial round three days earlier and delivered an even stronger performance in the medal event, raising her overall score from 277.9988 points in preliminaries, to 283.3826pts in the showcase final.
Naia Alvarez (ESP), who won gold as part of her nation’s Women’s Duet Free line-up on Saturday, won a further honour, after being awarded a total of 268.6363pts.
Rounding off the top-three was Zhou Kunyi (CHN), who secured a first solo medal with a score of 261.4876pts, following two second-place finishes in the Women’s Duet disciplines.
The Men’s Solo Free line-up were next to take the plunge into the waters at Budapest’s iconic Duna Arena, with athletes from 11 nations represented in the final.
European champion Zakhar Trofimov (RUS), winner of the Men’s Solo Technical discipline on Wednesday, was the favourite and very-much lived up to that billing, although he was pushed hard.
19-year-old Trofimov has enjoyed an outstanding season and the audience were keen to see another delivery of his entertaining choreography which is themed around the concept of ‘loving life to the fullest. Here and now, because you live on earth only once’.
A strong showing saw him awarded an overall total of 267.0426 points.
Eneko Sanchez (ESP), who was a gold medallist alongside Arlet Arnan (ESP) in the Mixed Duet Free discipline on Saturday, secured a second solo honour after another impressive display. The 16-year-old scored 264.4163pts to match his result in the Men’s Solo Technical event.
Completing the podium places, to ensure a repeat of the result from the first Men’s Solo contest, was Viktor Druzin (KAZ), who was given a score of 257.1201pts by the judges, to end his junior career with a further bronze.
The last event was the Open Team Free competition, with 12 nations returning following the preliminaries on Friday. As with the first contest between the respective countries, it was again Russia who would reign supreme.
People’s Republic of China was the first of the sport’s leading nations to take to the water and a score of 261.3654pts put them clear ahead of previous leaders Greece (239.5142pts).
Spain had ranked ahead of China in the preliminary round, but a score of 251.1846 would see them secure a podium finish. Temporarily in second, before Russia surpassed the two nations with a winning total of 277.6814pts.
Russia ended Budapest 2026 with 10 medals (nine gold and one bronze), to lead the standings ahead of Spain (ten medals – two gold, four silver and four bronze), with the People’s Republic of China (seven medals – five silver and two bronze) third.