Athens 2025: European Junior Artistic Swimming Championships end on high as Spain takes Team Trophy

The final day of competition at the European Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships Athens 2025 did not disappoint as the last titles on offer were secured to cap-off five days of action. 

The now-regular format of two finals in the morning and one in the evening meant that the crowd at the Athens Olympic Aquatics Centre were treated to a duet free and men’s solo free final to start the day, before ending with a curtain-closing team free final worthy of such a position. 

That duet free event saw a masterclass by Anastasiia Sidorina and Veronika Sokolova as they avenged a defeat to Spain in the technical event. 

The neutral athletes looked determined to prove a point as they went about their routine with aggression and vigour – scoring highest in the third and fourth segments to take a huge elements total of 150.  

An artistic impression score of 115 was equal to that of Spain and their combined total of 265.9638 saw them firmly on the top-step of the podium as their campaign concluded. 

Naia Alvarez Vicnente and Rocio Calle Garcia, champions in the technical event, had to settle for the silver despite an impressive routine from themselves. Their artistic impression score was enough to remain competitive at the top, but in the end they were good value for their position. 

Italy’s Sarah Maria Rizea and Flaminia Vernice made the most of the tricky middle section of their routine to take a clear bronze medal. A competitive elements score and a measured performance on their 11 difficulty first hybrid segment was enough for them to take the final step of the podium. 

The attention then turned to the men’s solo free final – with six athletes seeking to make history in the still relatively new event. After taking silver in the solo echnical event the previous day Great Britain’s Ranjuo Tomblin earned gold with a score of 203.4175.  

The 19-year-old went well in what was his final performance at junior level – with a hard-hitting routine. Carrying the highest level of difficulty in the field at 49.50, his elements score received a score of 111.0675, which was ultimately the decisive factor in his win.  

Italy’s Gabriele Minak produced a great performance of his own to take the silver, as he came out strong on his opening segment – scoring a huge 26 point to contribute to his overall count of 194.7401 and earning what was his fifth medal of the competition. 

After adding three gold medals to his name in the preceding days, Zakhar Trofimov had to settle for the bronze in his final appearance. His circus-based routine struggled to reach the heights on the artistic impressions side of the scoring, but a strong elements aspect was enough for him to round-off his week with a score of 193.7713. 

Spain rounded-off the competition by taking their fourth gold medal of the week in the team free final with a score of 286.1464.  

As the penultimate team in the running order, they won the day on an exceptionally high elements score – as they very rarely dropped below scores of 7 from the judges throughout their routine.  

The crowd were in full-voice to watch them set the standard to beat with only the Italian team left to perform.  

Ultimately, although their artistic impression was competitive, the Italians suffered a 10-point basemark drop as a result of their second segment, which contributed to a score of 259.9138 and a silver medal. 

The Greek team conducted their routine with flair and passion, and maintained a measured approach on their elements to finish on a total of 257.5313 and secure their second medal of the competition, much to the delight of the home crowd. 

Spain was awarded the overall Team Trophy, with four gold, four silver and one bronze (nine medals total). Great Britain took second place with one gold and one silver medal (two total), and Italy were third with five silver and four bronze medals (nine total). 

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Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics

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