Anna-Maria Alexandri and Eirini Marina Alexandri and Ranjuo Tomblin claimed the first artistic swimming golds of the European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 on the opening day of competition at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, respectively in the duet technical and men’s solo technical events.
It was a very busy and demanding day for the duets, with most of the field competing bright and early in the morning in the duet free preliminary round before returning to the pool in the evening for the duet technical final and the first artistic swimming medals of the championships.
The reigning European and World Champions, Anna-Maria Alexandri and Eirini Marina Alexandri, made the perfect return to the European Championships stage, claiming gold with a score of 311.4308.
It was the first competition of the season for the Greek triplet sisters, who are now competing under the flag of their home country after representing Austria internationally for more than a decade. At 28 years old, the three-time Olympians are among the most experienced duets in Paris, and had finished fourth at the 2024 Olympic Games in this very same pool.
Swimming their Swan Lake routine, which brought them great success last season, the Alexandri sisters once again demonstrated the outstanding technical execution for which they are known, delivering a performance filled with precision and control.
“It feels amazing. We are very emotional and very happy, it’s an amazing feeling I cannot describe it.” Said Eirini when speaking to European Aquatics.
“It’s an amazing feeling [to get a medal for Greece], really unique. We are really enjoying the moment and are very proud of oursevles. We haven’t competed for one year [since switching nationalities] and this isn’t our first competition. It’s a very special moment to hear the national anthem.” Anna Maria said.
Neutral Athletes B made their return to the European Championships stage for the first time since 2021, with Maiia Doroshko and Elizaveta Minaeva competing together for the first time at a senior European Championships.
The pair claimed silver with a score of 302.9950. Their routine, set to “Rising Force” by Yngwie Malmsteen, stood out for its extremely fast pace and powerful character, with strength, energy and explosive movements throughout.
Although this is their first season as a duet, both athletes bring considerable international experience. Doroshko, on the senior team since 2019, won bronze in this event at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore with a different partner and has been part of the national duet since 2023.
Minaeva, meanwhile, is a four-time World Junior Champion and 10-time European Junior Champion. She was a member of the national duet throughout her entire junior career and also won two silver medals in the team events in Singapore last year.
“We are very happy, firstly, to be here.” They said following the event. “We did a really great job about preparation to the season, and this is of course the main start of this season. We really believe we performed very well, and we really respect all the other athletes.
“So we see how the level of artistic women is increasing. We enjoy their performance. Of course, we have some things to do better and we will do it. So we are happy to come back and really wish to become stronger.”
The current Olympic silver medallists, Great Britain’s Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe, returned to the pool where they made history two years ago, claiming bronze with a score of 297.9108.
The British pair had already made a strong impression even before hitting the water, posting a massive Degree of Difficulty (DD) of 41.45, almost three points higher than the next highest.
They were amongst the rare pairs to not have done the duet free preliminary, and arrived at tonight’s final extremely energised. Their routine was set to “Dernière danse” by Indila, music that carries particular significance for them. Having performed their “last dance” together in Paris at the Olympic Games, the routine was an homage to the city and to the pool where they won their Olympic silver.
The pair did not compete together during the 2025 season, with Shortman taking a break from competition while completing her studies abroad – in Paris – while Thorpe focused on the mixed duet events and saw huge success there on the World and European stage.
Shortman and Thorpe reunited at the World Cup in Paris in March, where they claimed bronze, before returning to the same pool for their first European Championships together since 2024.
“Yeah, really happy. I think we need to go away and watch our swim and see how we can improve for next season, to be honest. We’re very focused on how we can improve, but it was a great rounding off to the season and we’re really happy with coming here and getting a medal in our first event.” They said to European Aquatics.
France, which won bronze in this event in Funchal last year, was represented by Romane Lunel and Laelys Alavez. Lunel was part of France’s bronze-medal-winning duet last year, but now competes alongside Alavez, with both athletes having represented France at the Paris Olympic Games.
In front of an effervescent home crowd, the pair claimed fourth place with a score of 294.6549. Their routine is themed around “The Heart” and had already enjoyed considerable success on the World Cup circuit this season, including a gold medal at the Pontevedra leg.
They had easily the biggest support of the evening, as you’d expect for a home team, and just came off the wrong side of the medals.
Italy’s Enrica Piccoli and Lucrezia Ruggiero finished fifth with a score of 290.4416. Their technical routine, set to “Gratia Plena”, is a relatively recent addition to their programme, having been presented for the first time at the World Cup Super Final in June.
The pair were seventh in this event at the 2025 European Championships but remain one of the strongest duets in the field, being the reigning European Champions and World silver medallists in the duet free. Both Paris Olympians, Piccoli and Ruggiero, have been competing together as a duet since last season.
The Spanish duet of Lilou Lluis Valette and Iris Tio Casas, who took the top spot in this morning’s duet free preliminary, had been tipped as one of the favourites to take gold in the event, but they suffered a poor opening to their routine in the first element that all but ruined their chances of a medal, as their whole hybrid element went to basemark, seeing them eventually finish in eighth place.
Great Britain’s Ranjuo Tomblin successfully defended his European title in the men’s solo technical event, claiming gold with a score of 249.3951 with his routine set to George Michael’s “Careless Whisper”, a programme on which he has worked extensively to improve his artistic impression.
The 20-year-old arrived to this final with the highest DD of the field by far with a 38.00, a 2.4 point increase since his last outing in June, and 4.21 higher than the next highest competitor. It was a risky bet, but it paid off as Tomblin delivered a clean routine when it counted.
Tomblin had come in as the favourite here, having enjoyed an outstanding 2026 season on the World Cup circuit, collecting 17 medals, including three golds and one silver in the men’s solo technical event.
“I’m very happy with the performance today. I’m glad that I’ve been able to defend my European title from last year.” He said.
“Every competition is different. I try to stay in my own zone, and the routines are constantly changing. The best motivation for me is my competitors, we all bring each other up and it’s the best thing to be a part of.”
Italy’s Filippo Pelati claimed silver with a score of 241.7008, adding another European medal to his collection after winning silver in this event in Funchal last year.
The Italian, who most recently won bronze at the 2026 European Junior Championships in Munich, transformed himself into Freddie Mercury for his routine set to “Radio Ga Ga”.
Pelati watched videos of Mercury’s live concerts to study the legendary singer’s movements on stage, including the way he used the microphone stand while singing and dancing. In the end, the 19-year-old showcased a performance driven by the powerful energy of the music and its ability to immediately engage the audience.
Zakhar Trofimov, competing as Neutral Athlete B, made his senior European Championships debut, finishing with bronze and a score of 235.7858.
The reigning European Junior Champion in both 2025 and 2026 presented a routine set to “Break On Through (to the Other Side)” by The Doors.
The choice of music came from his coach, a great admirer of Jim Morrison and The Doors, who felt that the song suited Trofimov particularly well. Trofimov was initially unfamiliar with the band, but after being encouraged by his coach to watch the film The Doors, he became inspired by Morrison and the music of the group.
Spain’s Dennis Gonzalez Boneu finished fourth with a score of 235.3817, competing in this event for the first time this season, presenting a new routine set to the song “Lovely” by Billie Eilish.
His preparation had been affected by a shoulder surgery earlier in the season which limited his training, making this fourth-place finish and return to the event in Paris an important step in his European campaign. The Spaniard won bronze in this event at the 2025 European Championships, and later claimed silver at the 2025 World Championships.
Before competing for a podium finish, most of the duets had already had the chance to get their bearings in the competition pool, taking part in the duet free preliminary round in the morning.
18 pairs took to the pool and in the end, it is Lilou Lluis and Iris Tio of Spain, reigning World Champions, who took the top spot with a score of 316.3850 for their “Essence of Femininity” routine. They will be joined in tomorrow’s final starting at 16h50 by the pairs of Greece, Neutral Athletes B, Italy, France, Germany, Neutral Athletes A, Georgia, Switzerland, Great Britain, Israel, and Ukraine.
The artistic swimming competition continues tomorrow, with the women’s solo free preliminary rounds at 9h00. Two medal events are then scheduled for the evening session, with the mixed duet free final starting at 16h00, followed by the duet free final.
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Christina Marmet and Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
