Spain won the silver medal in the acrobatic routine at the European Championships in Paris, finishing 2.5 points behind gold medal winner Russia.
The Spanish team under head coach Andrea Fuentes performed to the song Berghain by Rosalia at the Paris Olympic Aquatic Centre. After receiving a base mark penalty at the World Cup in Pontevedra, the team executed the routine without major errors this time to earn a historic score of 100.2500 in artistic impression. Spain finished with a total score of 242.2428 points, while Russia won gold with 244.8221 points after scoring 148.2221 in element execution, which was over six points higher than Spain.
Preparation for the acrobatic routine combined CrossFit training to build strength and launch jumpers high into the air, alongside ballet and regular pool workouts. Teammates watching from the stands mirrored every movement during the swim. The eight team members who competed in the pool were Cristina Arambula, Txell Ferrer, Marina Garcia, Dennis Gonzalez, Lilou Lluis, Paula Ramirez, Sara Saldana, and Iris Tio. Italy finished third in the event, more than 20 points behind Spain.
Russian rivalry and Olympic rules
Russia won gold ahead of Spain in the free, technical, and acrobatic routines, while all other competing teams trailed far behind. Spain retains room to grow over the two years remaining before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Before departing for the European Championships, coach Andrea Fuentes said she was eager and curious to face Russia without fear, adding that any mistakes would provide lessons for improvement.
Russia missed the Paris 2024 Olympic Games due to sanctions related to the war in Ukraine, but returned to international competition as the dominant force in artistic swimming. However, top rivals such as China under coach Anna Tarres and Spain under Fuentes are closer than ever. Russia defeated Spain by 2.5 points in the free routine, over six points in the technical routine, and 2.5 points in the acrobatic routine. At the Olympic Games, scores from these three routines are combined to award a single set of medals.
The Russian team's victory in the free routine was accompanied by controversy over accusations that Russia copied elements from Spain to preserve its win. Spain continues to lead in artistic impression ratings while working to close the gap in routine difficulty.
Medal tally and individual results
Spain completed the European Championships with eight medals out of eleven possible events. No country won more total medals than Spain, though Russia ranked higher in the official medal table with seven medals because rankings order by gold medals won. Iris Tio earned Spain's sole gold medal in Paris by winning the solo technical event, becoming the first Spanish swimmer in history to win that title.
Spain also collected five silver medals across the three team routines, the free duet, and the mixed free duet, alongside two bronze medals in the solo free and men's solo free events. In duet competition, Iris Tio and Lilou Lluis took second place in the free duet close behind Greece, but finished eighth in the technical duet due to a base mark penalty that knocked them out of gold contention.
Head coach Andrea Fuentes now has one year to evolve her training methods before the next major competition at the 2027 World Championships in Budapest, which will serve as a qualifier for the Olympic Games.
