Spain, winners of the team trophy at the last four editions of the European Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships, claimed gold and silver on the first day of medal competition in Munich’s Olympia Schwimmhalle.
An energetic and polished performance from Arlet Arnan Santacruz and Eneko Sanchez Aguilar, who scored 247.0509 points, was enough to claim the mixed duet free title in the second medal event of the day.
Earlier, Spain’s 17-year-old Daniela Suarez Fernandez had earned silver in the women’s solo technical behind Neutral Individual Athlete Aleksandra Zavialova.
Swimming last of the five pairs in the concluding medal event, the Spanish pair presented the most difficult routine of the competition with a DD of 51.55.
Their entertaining Hip Hop choreography captivated both the judges and the crowd.
Neutral Individual Athletes Alina Rumiantseva and Zakhar Trofimov were unable to defend their title, taking silver with 236.2534.
Performing first with their “Earthside Story” routine, they impressed with powerful acrobatic elements and dynamic deckwork. However, a basemark on their opening acrobatic movement proved costly, ultimately leaving them just over 10 points behind the Spanish pair.
The victory comes in the Spanish athletes’ first season together as a mixed duet.
Despite representing different clubs in Catalonia, Arnan Santacruz and Sanchez Aguilar have known each other for many years through the regional federation.
They were also teammates at the 2025 World Youth Championships, where they helped Spain win silver in the free combination event.
“We’re very excited because we haven’t been working on this duet for very long, only about three weeks,” said Arnan Santacruz.
“We didn’t expect to win gold today at all. We knew it was going to be very difficult, but it was something we dreamed about, so we’re so happy.”
After competing earlier in the morning’s team free preliminary, Italy’s Ginevra Marchetti and Gabriele Minak returned to the pool to earn bronze with 233.3500.
The reigning Italian national champions performed their “Swan Lake” routine with confidence to secure Italy’s second bronze medal of the day.
Minak was the silver medalist in this event at last year’s championships with a different partner, but he and Marchetti have built valuable international experience this season through fourth-place finishes at both the Paris and Pontevedra World Cups.
Zavialova had claimed the first gold of Munich 2026 with a score of 246.2701, securing the first title of her European junior career.
The 18-year-old performed an expressive and cheeky “Seductress”-themed routine, a programme she has been refining for more than a year and a half.
Ahead of this season the choreography was nonetheless adapted to comply with European Aquatics regulations limiting apnea time in free hybrids to 25 seconds.
Despite only making her international debut a few months ago at the World Cup in Xi’an, where she finished fifth, Zavialova produced a confident swim to secure her first medal at these championships – and most likely not the last.
Spain opened its medal tally thanks to Suarez Fernandez, who claimed silver with 233.7850.
The 17-year-old, who trains full-time with Spain’s senior national team, also presented the highest degree of difficulty (DD) in the field at 31.10 with her routine to Doris Day’s “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps,” a piece she selected because it reflects her naturally cheerful and outgoing personality.
“I felt really good in the water today and I am very happy about this medal,” Suarez Fernandez said. “My coach gave me so much motivation, and I really love this music and this routine; I enjoy it every time.
“For us team Spain, our expectations and goals are always high. Last year, we won the trophy and the most medals. We know the neutral athletes are back now and are very strong, but that motivates us even more to achieve the best possible results.”
Already an accomplished junior athlete, Suarez Fernandez helped Spain win two team gold medals at the 2025 European Junior Championships and two team bronze medals at the 2024 World Junior Championships.
This season, she has also gained valuable senior experience on the World Cup circuit, placing seventh in Medellin and eighth in both Pontevedra and Toronto in this event.
Italy’s Giulia Ottonello claimed bronze with 232.1558. Making her junior international debut in this event, she performed a strong and elegant routine set to “The Storm.”
At just 16 years old, she is the youngest member of the Italian team here, but arrived with strong credentials after placing sixth in solo at the 2025 World Youth Championships.
A total of 23 athletes competed in the women’s solo technical event, highlighting the continued growth and depth of junior artistic swimming across Europe.
The day had begun with the team free preliminaries. All six squads progressed, with the preliminary rankings serving only to determine the order of appearance in Saturday evening’s final
The Neutral Individual Athletes topped the standings with 254.8597 points after unveiling their new “Predators” routine internationally for the first time.
Defending champions Spain and Italy currently occupy second and third place respectively, although all teams will begin the final with a clean slate.
Competition continues tomorrow with an all-finals programme.
The women’s solo free final opens the day at 10:00, followed by the mixed duet technical final at 11:25. The evening session features what promises to be a highly competitive team technical final, showcasing 15 nations starting at 18:00.
Christina Marmet for European Aquatics
