Tio Casas honoured at EA Congress dinner in Tbilisi as top-performing European woman athlete at World Aquatics Championships

Spain’s Iris Tio Casas was honoured at the European Aquatics Congress 2025 dinner in Tbilisi for being the best-performing European woman athlete at this year’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

The 22-year-old artistic swimmer from Barcelona, who won three golds and three bronzes during the competition in July, received her award from Britain’s three-times backstroke world champion Liam Tancock, chair of the EA Athletes Committee.

This award is part of a new initiative to bring athletes into the heart of EA Congress gatherings.

Tio Casas thus contributed six of Spain’s total of nine medals at the Championships, more than any other nation, helping them to finish third in the medals table.

She had collected bronze medals from the women’s solo technical and the team free events before claiming her first individual world gold in the solo free – an achievement that left her visibly shocked.

Tio Casas reached the top step of the podium with a score of 245.1913 to beat China’s 19-year-old Huiyan Xu, who had earned her first world title in the solo technical routine.

A few hours later she helped Spain earn another bronze in the team technical final.

Victory in the women’s solo free was secured with a performance to Hymne a L’amour, sung by Celine Dion at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, where Tio Casas earned bronze in the team event.

“It means a lot, because it’s my first World Championship gold in a solo event,” she said. “I’m super happy, I can’t believe it right now. My parents are in the stands. It really was a dream come true. I’m a little bit shocked.”

After picking up a second gold in the women’s duet free with 18-year-old Lilou Lluis Valette she praised the influence of Spain’s coach Andrea Fuentes, who won Olympic silver in this event in 2008 and 2012 and guided the United States to team silver at the Paris 2024 Games.

“Andrea brought a lot of positivity and has a lot of confidence in us.

And also she has created choreography that we feel comfortable with and which is very artistic. We find a very good balance in artistry and difficulty. She’s the best coach ever.”

Tio Casas won her third gold partnering Dennis Gonzalez in the mixed duet free on the final day of the artistic swimming programme, when Spain finished with three golds, two silvers and four bronzes. 

“We feel very proud,” said Tio Casas, who had become first artistic swimmer in history to win World Championship titles in all four disciplines: solo, duet, mixed duet, and team.

 “We are happy that we can finish the season with a happy ending. Probably a lot of people of Spain will see this and we can be an example for little kids.”

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

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