Many of the top male artistic swimmers from around the world came together for an elite camp in Barcelona.
Under the guidance of expert coaches, the event showcased the growing prominence of men’s artistic swimming.
The camp, Dec. 13-15, at Sant Cugat, Barcelona, brought together 36 male athletes—16 international participants and 20 from Spain.
Gonzalez Boneu, the reigning European solo technical champion and world free solo silver medalist, was joined by fellow Spaniards Jordi Cacares, Xandro De Manuel and Eneko Sanchez.
“I think without doubt this is a fantastic opportunity for all the men. We are a lot all over the world and I think this camp will help men’s artistic swimming for the future,” Gonzales Boneu said.
Other notable attendees included:
- Kenneth Gaudet (USA): World silver medalist in free solo.
- Eduard Kim (Kazakhstan): 2023 world bronze medalist in technical solo.
- Diego Villalobos (Mexico): Fifth-place finisher in this year’s world solo technical final.
- Filippo Pelati (Italy): A 17-year-old standout who won double gold at the European Junior Championships and placed fourth in both solo events at the World Junior Championships.
- Nicolas Campos (Chile): A 17-year-old rising star representing South America.
- Ranjuo Tomblin (Great Britain): The 18-year-old who made history this year by claiming Britain’s first European gold in 39 years with his victory in the men’s solo free routine in Belgrade.
- David Martinez (Sweden): A top-10 finisher in the technical solo routine at this year’s Doha World Championships.
- Muye Guo (China): A dominant performer at the World Junior Championships, where he secured four gold medals.
The Spanish staff overseeing the artistic swimmers training included RFEN Technical Director Ana Montero, Andrea Fuentes, and coaches Victor Cano, Anna Vega, Judit Requena, Gemma Mengual and Cecilia Jiménez. The program featured a mix of pool training, gym work, and dance sessions designed to refine the athletes’ technique and artistry, according to World Aquatics.
“We are making history in this sport. Right now, there are more than 50,000 female athletes practicing this sport. Imagine if in a few years we get 50,000 male athletes to also practice it,” Montero told World Aquatics. “Imagine that at the next World Championships, in addition to 400 female athletes in the pool, there are also 400 male athletes. I would like you to be the family that fights together to make this possible from now on.”
World Aquatics contributed to this report.