Britain’s Tomblin starts 2026 with double gold at landmark World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup in Medellin

Great Britain’s Ranjuo Tomblin began his season in golden fashion at the opening leg of the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup in Medellin, Colombia, where European athletes earned numerous medals.

In what was the first hosting of an Artistic Swimming World Cup stage in South America the 20-year-old European champion earned the men’s solo technical title before joining team-mate  Izzy Thorpe, with whom he formed a partnership last year, to win the mixed duet technical routine.

He told World Aquatics that the results were “very special,” and Thorpe – who won duet silver with Kate Shortman at the Paris 2024 Olympics – added that their combined performance had been “really exciting” as they  to seek further success this year following their world bronze last summer.

In Medellin they gave a debut to their ‘Latin dance’ themed routine, performed to the track ‘Magalenha’ by Sergio Mendes, earning a total of 202.9517.

“There were definitely a few errors, but it’s the first competition of the season, so I think we’ve got a lot of work on throughout the next World Cups and we’re really excited to do that,” Thorpe commented.

Meanwhile Germany’s 21-year-old Klara Bleyer, overall World Cup winner in the women’s solo last year, finished with a complete set of medals, although she was dissatisfied at taking bronze in the women’s solo technical.

“I’m not happy with my swimming but, it’s the first competition of the season,” Bleyer told World Aquatics. “I will participate in more World Cups and I want to improve and impress the judges.”

Bleyer finished two places up the podium after her next event, the women duet technical, where she and Amelie Blumenthal Haz earned gold with 275.2792 points ahead of Slovakia’s Lea Anna Krajcovicova and Zofia Srapekova, as France’s Laelys Alavez and Romane Lunel finished third.

Bleyer added silver in the women solo free behind Canada’s women’s solo technical winner Audrey Lamothe, with neutral athlete Vasilina Khandoshka placing third.    

The women duet free title went to Switzerland’s Anna-Sophia Aeschbacher and Ixchel Honer, with silver going to Spain’s Paula Marcipar Idelsohn and Daniela Suarez Fernandez.

The next stop will be in Paris from March 27 to 29, with further legs set for Xi’an in China from May 1 to 3 and Pontevedra in Spain from May 29 to 31. The Super Final will take place in Toronto from June 19 to 21.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

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