The European Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships got underway at the Centre National Sportif et Culturel “La Coque” in Luxembourg City on Thursday, with two packed sessions delivering drama, standout performances and an energetic crowd as the field took shape ahead of the weekend finals.
Russia set the early tone for what promises to be a compelling four days of competition. Anna Danilova was the final competitor to compete, posting 226.70 points to take the top spot as the event came to a close.
Created specifically for these Championships and choreographed by Olympic legend Olga Brusnikina, the routine showcased prowess beyond her years as she came home to take a commanding lead and the top seed heading into the figures event.
Italy’s Viola La Groia was the closest challenger in second place on 213.39, her rendition of Lady Gaga’s La Vie en Rose earned warm reception from the judges in what her coaching staff describe as her first major international solo outing.
Coached by Joey Paccagnella and Giovanna Burlando and choreographed by Elisa Plaisant, the routine is built around the difficulty of its hybrid elements, and La Groia delivered a strong performance with the figures event on the horizon for tomorrow.
France’s Ambre Olmedo-Gimenez claimed third on 186.77, performing a powerful routine set to Bella Ciao and music from the Money Heist soundtrack, under the theme of Rebellion and Freedom.
Awarded Best Choreography at the 2026 French Elite Championships, the routine caught the eye of judges in the Artistic Impression marks even as a penalty on one of her hybrid elements ultimately cost her some ground in the element score.
Belarus’s Vasilina Khodas and Greece’s Melina Rafailia Kasviki rounded out fourth and fifth to also look strong. Turkey’s Bade Haceryan received an 8-point penalty that dropped her outside the provisional qualification places, with Great Britain’s Victoria Sharashkina inheriting the position as a result.
Spain’s Abril Caballero Garcia, Croatia’s Helena Petrovic, Slovakia’s Lucia Kubicova, Czech Republic’s Karla Kubinkova, the Netherlands’ Lareyna Rosalia and Poland’s Amelia Monika Mianowska all did enough to be seeded in positions seven through twelve respectively. Twenty-two athletes contested the preliminary, with twelve advancing after the figures event is complered.
Prior to the afternoon session beginning, the opening ceremony took place, with one athlete from each nation sporting their country’s flag as they stood together to mark the official start of the competition. Noam Zwi, General Secretary of European Aquatics, gave an opening speech and presented Claude Waltzing, President of Luxembourg Swimming and Lifesaving Federation, a plaque to show their appreciation for hosting the event.
The afternoon session brought the team free preliminary, and Russia’s presence was once again felt emphatically at the top of the standings. Their “Aliens” routine featured many impressive acrobatic moves to score 226.33 points and take first place.
Choreographed to a medley of six electronic and sci-fi-themed tracks, it features athletes who include winners from last year’s World Youth Championships, and the execution and impression marks were comfortably the highest in the field.
France, who claimed bronze at those 2025 World Youth Championships in Athens, were a solid second on 204.34 with their jungle-themed routine, with some impressive marks of their own as they were cheered on by a strong French contingent in the crowd.
Spain’s “Machines” routine, set to a single pulsing track by Salvador Nibla, was rewarded with the second highest impression score of the evening from the panel, but they ultimately had to settle for third overall on 196.01. None of the current squad performed the routine last season, meaning every athlete was experiencing it for the first time together.
Greece (fourth, 194.86) and Belarus (fifth, 180.21) also impressed with composed performances, before a turbulent evening for two high-profile nations. Italy, who arrived in Luxembourg among the medal favourites in the team events, received an 8-point penalty that dropped them to sixth on 166.51.
Estonia and Switzerland were similarly penalised, finishing ninth and tenth respectively. Israel, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Sweden all sat inside the provisonal qualification places, with fourteen teams contesting the event and twelve advancing to Saturday’s final.
Attention now turns to Friday’s programme, which brings two formats yet to be seen in the competition so far. The morning sees the duet free preliminary, with 55 athletes from 27 pairings taking to the water, and the afternoon delivers the figures competition, where the 215 entrants competes individually in an event unique to the youth programme.
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Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
