PARIS — The European Aquatics Championships 2026 artistic swimming competition began in spectacular fashion on Saturday as Greece and Great Britain captured the first gold medals of the championships, highlighting an opening day filled with technical excellence, emotional homecomings and the emergence of a new generation of continental contenders.
The Olympic Aquatics Centre, which hosted the artistic swimming competition during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, once again became the stage for Europe’s finest synchronized swimmers. Athletes faced one of the busiest schedules of the championships, beginning their day with the duet free preliminary before returning several hours later for the medal-deciding duet technical final.
By the end of an intense opening session, the reigning world champions from Greece and the defending European champion from Great Britain had reaffirmed their status at the top of the sport.
The spotlight belonged to Greek sisters Anna-Maria Alexandri and Eirini Marina Alexandri, who made a triumphant return to the European Championships after a year away from international competition. Performing their acclaimed “Swan Lake” routine, the pair collected 311.4308 points to comfortably secure the continental title.
The victory carried significance well beyond the medal standings.
For more than a decade, the Alexandri triplets built their international careers representing Austria, becoming one of the sport’s most recognizable families while collecting European and world medals. Their decision to switch allegiance back to Greece meant Paris marked their first major championship competing under the Greek flag.
That transition made the medal ceremony especially emotional.
The experienced duo, both 28 years old and already three-time Olympians, displayed the composure that has defined their careers. Every lift, hybrid movement and synchronization sequence reflected years of refinement, allowing them to separate themselves from the rest of the field through exceptional execution rather than excessive risk.
The sisters’ technical precision has long distinguished them from many rivals, and once again their clean performance proved decisive.
Their victory also represented a measure of redemption in the same venue where they narrowly missed an Olympic medal in 2024, finishing fourth despite being among the pre-competition favorites.
Now, the Olympic Aquatics Centre has become the site of another milestone in their careers—this time accompanied by Greece’s national anthem.
The battle for silver produced one of the day’s strongest performances.
Competing together at a senior European Championships for the first time, Neutral Athletes B’s Maiia Doroshko and Elizaveta Minaeva earned 302.9950 points with an explosive routine performed to Yngwie Malmsteen’s “Rising Force.”
Unlike the elegant classical presentation of the Greek champions, Doroshko and Minaeva embraced a routine built around speed, strength and aggressive choreography.
Their program featured rapid transitions, dynamic acrobatic elements and consistently high energy, demonstrating a contrasting artistic philosophy that nevertheless impressed judges.
Although relatively new as a partnership, both swimmers entered Paris with extensive international credentials.
Doroshko has represented the senior national program since 2019 and collected a world championship bronze medal last year with another duet partner. Minaeva, meanwhile, arrives from one of the most decorated junior careers in European artistic swimming, having accumulated four World Junior titles and 10 European Junior championships before graduating to the senior ranks.
Their silver medal suggests the partnership could become one of Europe’s strongest heading toward future world championships.
Great Britain’s Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe completed the podium after earning bronze with 297.9108 points.
The British pair returned to the pool where they produced one of the greatest moments in their country’s artistic swimming history by winning Olympic silver in Paris two years earlier.
Their routine to Indila’s “Dernière danse” served as both a competitive program and a tribute to those Olympic memories.
Despite carrying the highest degree of difficulty among all finalists—nearly three points higher than any other duet—the British athletes performed with remarkable composure.
Their reunion has become one of the season’s most compelling stories.
Following the Paris Olympics, Shortman temporarily stepped away from competition to pursue academic studies in France, while Thorpe shifted her focus toward mixed duet events, where she enjoyed considerable international success.
The pair reunited earlier this season and have steadily rebuilt their chemistry, first capturing bronze during the World Cup in Paris before adding another continental medal on Saturday.
France narrowly missed reaching the podium despite enthusiastic support from thousands of spectators.
Romane Lunel and Laelys Alavez finished fourth after presenting their emotionally driven “The Heart” routine, scoring 294.6549.
The French pair had entered the championships with momentum after winning World Cup gold in Pontevedra earlier this year, but ultimately fell just short of overtaking the medal contenders.
Italy’s experienced combination of Enrica Piccoli and Lucrezia Ruggiero placed fifth with their recently introduced technical routine “Gratia Plena.”
Both athletes remain among Europe’s leading duet specialists after winning the European free duet title and world silver medal in recent seasons, making them strong contenders in the upcoming free competition.
Perhaps the day’s biggest disappointment belonged to Spain.
Reigning world champions Lilou Lluis Valette and Iris Tio Casas had dominated the morning’s duet free preliminary and entered the technical final among the gold-medal favorites.
However, an error in the opening hybrid element dramatically altered their prospects.
The costly mistake received a basemark evaluation, immediately placing the Spanish duo at a significant disadvantage from which they never recovered.
They eventually finished eighth, well outside medal contention despite possessing one of the strongest routines in the competition.
While the women’s duet final showcased Europe’s established powers, the men’s solo technical competition demonstrated the continued rise of one of artistic swimming’s fastest-growing disciplines.
Great Britain’s Ranjuo Tomblin successfully defended his European title with a commanding performance that earned 249.3951 points.
Performing to George Michael’s classic “Careless Whisper,” the 20-year-old combined ambitious technical content with improved artistic interpretation, reflecting months of refinement since his previous international appearance.
Tomblin entered the final carrying the highest degree of difficulty in the field—38.00—more than four points above his closest rival.
The strategy represented a calculated gamble.
Higher technical difficulty increases scoring potential but also leaves little margin for execution errors.
Tomblin delivered exactly the performance required, completing the routine cleanly and securing back-to-back European titles.
His victory continued a remarkable 2026 campaign.
Throughout this year’s World Cup circuit, the British swimmer has collected 17 medals, including multiple victories in the men’s solo technical discipline, establishing himself as one of the sport’s dominant performers.
Italy’s Filippo Pelati once again demonstrated his growing reputation by capturing silver with 241.7008 points.
Only 19 years old, Pelati transformed himself into legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, performing to “Radio Ga Ga” after extensively studying the singer’s famous concert performances to recreate his distinctive stage presence.
His energetic interpretation blended theatrical performance with demanding technical execution, earning widespread praise from judges.
Bronze went to Zakhar Trofimov, competing as Neutral Athlete B, who marked his senior European Championships debut with an impressive score of 235.7858.
The reigning European junior champion presented a routine inspired by The Doors’ “Break On Through (To the Other Side),” drawing artistic inspiration from Jim Morrison after encouragement from his coach.
Spain’s Dennis Gonzalez Boneu narrowly missed the podium in fourth place after returning from shoulder surgery that significantly disrupted his preparation earlier this year.
Despite the setback, his performance represented an encouraging return for one of Europe’s leading male artistic swimmers.
Earlier in the day, the duet free preliminary established the field for Sunday’s medal contest.
Spain recovered from its technical disappointment by leading qualification through reigning world champions Lilou Lluis Valette and Iris Tio Casas, whose “Essence of Femininity” routine received 316.3850 points.
They will headline a highly competitive final featuring Greece, Neutral Athletes B, Italy, France, Germany, Neutral Athletes A, Georgia, Switzerland, Great Britain, Israel and Ukraine.
With two gold medals already awarded, attention now shifts to another packed day of competition.
Sunday’s program begins with the women’s solo free preliminary before concluding with two more medal events—the mixed duet free final and the women’s duet free final—where many of Saturday’s leading performers will return in pursuit of additional European titles.
The opening day demonstrated that artistic swimming in Europe continues to evolve through an increasingly diverse blend of technical sophistication, creative choreography and rising competitive depth. Established champions successfully defended their positions, emerging partnerships announced themselves as genuine contenders, and a new championship began with performances that reaffirmed Europe’s place at the forefront of the sport.
