European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards 2025: Dennis Gonzalez voted best men’s artistic swimmer

Spain’s Dennis Gonzalez has been named men’s artistic swimmer of the year in the 2025 European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards with more than half – 51.79% – of the voting share.

The 21-year-old played a key part in his country’s success at the World Aquatics Championships, where they won nine medals – more than any other nation – and finished third overall.

Gonzalez won gold in the mixed duet free routine, partnering Iris Tio Casas – who was named yesterday as the best women’s artistic swimmer for 2025 – and silvers in the solo technical routine and the mixed duet technical routine, where he worked with Mireia Hernandez.

But Gonzalez was also a ground-breaking performer in team competition, having become the first man to represent Spain in these events when he participated at the World Cup in Somabay in April, helping the squad to earn gold.

Men were given the opportunity to compete in Olympic artistic swimming when rule changes allowed two per squad at the Paris 2024 Games. In the event, no country entered a male competitor – but Gonzalez is pioneering a route that he hopes will lead him to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

At the World Aquatics Championships he helped Spain earn bronze in the acrobatic and free routines.

He had performed the same role for Spain at the European Aquatics Artistic Swimming Championships in Funchal, Madeira, taking team free gold and acrobatic routine bronze.

Gonzalez also earned gold in the mixed duet free with Tio Casas and the mixed duet technical with Hernandez as well as taking solo technical bronze.

Earlier in the season the Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final in Xi’an, China had offered Gonzalez the ideal opportunity to test his new partnership with Tio Casas as they won the mixed duet free title, and he also secured gold in the mixed duet technical routine partnering Hernandez.

Second place, with a vote share of 18.09%, went to Great Britain’s Ranjuo Tomblin.

Making his last appearance in junior competition, also made his mark in Athens, earning gold in the men’s solo free and silver in the solo technical.

The 19-year-old achieved at every level in 2025, winning bronzes at the senior Europeans in the solo free and mixed duet free, where he partnered Holly Hughes.

Tomblin went on to reach the world podium when he and Paris 2024 silver medallist Isabelle Thorpe earned mixed duet free bronze.

Earlier, making his last appearance in junior competition at the European Championships in Athens, he had earned gold in the men’s solo free and silver in the solo technical.

Another Spaniard, 20-year-old Jordi Caceres, finished third with a vote share of 16.11%.

Caceres had his chance to shine at the European Aquatics Artistic Championships and made the most of it with an emphatic victory in the men’s solo free routine.

Italy’s 18-year-old Filippo Pelati placed fourth with a vote share of  8.28% after a season in which he earned a breakthrough bronze at the World Aquatics Championships, where he finished third in the solo free routine.

He also teamed up with Lucrezia Ruggiero to earn bronze in the duet technical routine.

Pelati had earlier earned widespread success in the European Artistic Swimming Championships, taking silver in the solo free and technical routines and partnering Ruggiero to mixed duet free silver and mixed duet technical bronze.

Pelati’s compatriot Gabriele Minak, who secured 5.65% of the vote, was outstanding at the European Aquatics Junior Championships in Athens, where he emulated Gonzalez in earning a medal in team competition, taking silver in the acrobatic routine.

Minak also won silvers in the mixed duet technical and solo free events, adding bronze in the mixed duet free and solo technical routines.

The young Italian had made a breakthrough performance at the Artistic World Cup Super Final,, taking silver in the men’s solo free behind home athlete Guo Muye.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

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