Aleksandr Maltsev was a true pioneer in males’s participation in artistic swimming . Dennis González is the one who’s reaching the perfect stage. Now, the great Russian and the proper exponent of the Spanish males’s synchronized swimming academy are going via off for the first time at a World Championship.
The two swimmers are breaking new flooring on this sport and methodology the rivals with fully totally different targets and packages. Nonetheless, they’re going to compete throughout the mixed duets and males’s technical solo events at Singapore 2025.
This closing, on Saturday (8:00 a.m. Spanish time), will doubtless be their first duel in 4 years and their first in a severe worldwide championship. The one precedent dates once more to the 2021 World Assortment in Barcelona, when the then very youthful Dennis González accomplished second throughout the coach-only closing behind the good Russian champion .
And Aleksander Maltsev has completed nothing nonetheless collect titles as a result of the primary World Championships via which males have been able to compete, precisely in his nation, in Kazan 2015. There the mixed duos from Russia shared the podiums with these from the US and Italy, with the figures of Bill May and Giorgio Minisini , respectively, as pioneers and first male stars of the ‘synchro’ alongside Maltsev himself, who in that championship original a pair with Darina Valitova.
In a country the place artistic disciplines are extraordinarily valued, the St. Petersburg native arrived with out place fashions and confronted many difficulties in teaching like the ladies he started with. “I’ve wanted to maintain misunderstandings and damaging reactions, nonetheless I was sure these of us have been flawed, not me,” he acknowledged in an interview with the worldwide federation, via which he moreover expressed his admiration for Frenchwoman Virginie Dedieu and Spaniards Gemma Mengual and Andrea Fuentes, among the many many best in artistic impressionism in historic previous .
Now, at 30, he’s hoping to make his mark throughout the sport by growing his World Championships occupation after missing the ultimate three ensuing from sanctions in opposition to Russia. Maltsev has 4 gold medals, and in Singapore, as a member of the Neutral B employees , he’s entered in every solos and every mixed duets; throughout the technical event with Mayya Gurbanberdieva, and throughout the freestyle event with Olesia Platonova .
An Olympic cycle with the Spanish employees
And if anyone can stand as a lot because the Russian duos correct now, it’s Spanish synchronized swimming , with Dennis González as one among its finest exponents. At 21, the Catalan has already develop to be an on a regular basis part of the employees’s routines, a historic feat. In actuality, on the Somabay World Cup in Egypt in April, it was the first time a employees with a male member stood on the podium of a world rivals.
The second was moreover essential for him and the employees. After overcoming an hurt, this was González’s first examine in type this season, which marks the start of an Olympic cycle ; and on prime of that, he was beneath a model new coach: Andrea Fuentes.
After a lot of years among the many many nationwide—and subsequently world—elite, Dennis González already has a sensational observe doc. Amongst totally different achievements, he gained a gold medal throughout the solo (free routine) on the primary World Championships via which this self-discipline was included throughout the World Championships program, in Fukuoka 2023 .
That exact same 12 months, he made his debut with the Spanish employees at a World Cup, nonetheless he wasn’t included throughout the squad for the 2024 Video video games, the first via which there was a danger of along with males in employees events, although the measure had solely been launched two years earlier. “I nonetheless didn’t truly know what I wanted at the moment. Nevertheless remaining 12 months was after I truly acknowledged, ‘I will give irrespective of it takes to be there.’ And that’s what occurred with the help of the employees ,” the Kallípolis swimmer outlined to RTVE merely sooner than leaving for Singapore.
Now, if he continues to progress, Dennis González might have a probability to be an Olympian in Los Angeles 2028. “He has to earn his spot,” warns Fuentes, who, as U.S. coach, already left Bill May off the Olympic employees with which she achieved good success in Paris.
Andrea Fuentes , nonetheless, extraordinarily values the contribution of Dennis González, who might have a packed program because of, together with a solo, in Singapore he’ll doubtless be participating in two mixed duets—the technical one with Mireia Hernández and the freestyle with Iris Tió —and two employees routines, the freestyle and the acrobatic. In these, the coach has moreover given the Barcelona native a very excellent place throughout the choreography. ” He’s lots stronger, he has a wide range of charisma . He’s bringing optimistic points to the employees. He’s a particular kind of animal,” the coach knowledgeable Efe.
Following throughout the footsteps of Pau Ribes
“Nevertheless a really highly effective issue is that socially we contemplate it’s important for teenagers who want to participate in a traditionally female sport to be completely happy to determine on . It’s 2025 and it’s already tiring,” she added in a press launch to RTVE.
“I’m working day after day for what I’ve to do and little else. Then you definitely undoubtedly perceive the impression it has on the kids who watch me, like I observed Pau [Ribes] on the time. And that’s everytime you respect it and fight to take care of going,” the competitor himself outlined to RTVE, referring to the pioneer of Spanish synchronization.
After Ribes, Fernando del Río moreover briefly shone on the world stage , and now González is joined by Jordi Cáceres , who could even be participating throughout the World Cup in Singapore, proving that Spain has a youth system, which is important to competing on the best stage.
Aware that the nation is a benchmark in vary and equality—and by no means merely on this sport—the worldwide federation organized a groundbreaking men-only camp in Barcelona this season. “I didn’t know there have been so many youthful boys in Spain” in artistic swimming, acknowledged Mexican Diego Villaobos, who could even compete in Singapore and was delighted with the experience.
The rising swimmers
At this World Championships, we even have to pay attention to some swimmers who’ve had a strong season, starting with China’s Muye Guo , who at 17 years earlier is aiming for a lot of medals. And although coach Anna Tarres examined him on the acrobatics employees at a World Cup, she hasn’t included him in any of the employees’s routines at this championship.
Moreover standing out simply recently are Kazakhstan’s Eduard Kim and Britain’s Ranjuo Tomblin , every 19 years earlier; and Chile’s Nicolás Campos (17 years earlier). The youngest, nonetheless, merely turned 15, will doubtless be Greece’s Stylianos Koukouselis Fousikis.
And among the many many veterans, at 24, we should always level out Colombian Gustavo Sánchez, who was acknowledged by World Aquatics as the proper male artistic swimmer of ultimate 12 months.
Animals
