Courtesy: European Aquatics
Spain won the men’s solo free – thanks to debutant Jordi Caceres Iglesias – and team free titles at the European Aquatics Artistic Swimming Championships Funchal 2025, with Klara Bleyer also securing Germany’s first ever solo title in this competition.
The second day of action at the Penteada Olympic Swimming Pools complex began with a historic flourish from the 21-year-old Bleyer, who won silver in the women’s solo free and technical routines behind Austria’s Vasiliki Alexandri at last year’s European Aquatic Championships.
With Alexandri – voted the best female artistic swimmer of 2024 in the European Aquatics Awards – electing only to defend her solo technical title, Bleyer took her chance to write a new chapter in her country’s sporting history.
Swimming a striking Space-themed solo that portrayed the journey of an astronaut through the cosmos, Bleyer combined technical precision with an unmistakable flair for storytelling.
Her score of 219.8363 earned her not only the title but also a historic landmark for her country as she marked the next step in her steady rise.
Funchal also seems to hold a special kind of magic for Bleyer: it was here that she won two gold medals in solo at the 2023 European Junior Championships in what proved to be a pivotal moment in her career.
“I am very happy, this medal feels very special for me,” she told European Aquatics. “Because two years ago exactly in this location I became European junior champion, so now it feels like a full-circle moment.”
Italy’s Enrica Piccoli captured silver with 212.9451, delivering a moving and dramatic performance set to La Mamma Morte as interpreted by Maria Callas.
A two-time Olympian and multi-world and European medallist in team events, the 26-year-old Piccoli returned to the solo event for the first time since her junior days in 2017.
Her routine was the first on deck in the final, setting a high bar that held until Bleyer’s performance.
“This is the first year I’ve been doing the solo routine at this level,” she said. “I’ve swam all the team routines for almost eight years, so it was a big surprise to do solo again.
“At the beginning it was a little bit difficult. I was with eight other people all the time; I was also the captain of the team and I felt a lot of responsibility. Now I am on my own. This is just mine, my responsibility, my mistakes, my failures, my successes.
“It was stressful, but right now I’m really happy of course, and I think this has taught me a lot about myself.”
Bronze went to Iris Tio Casas of Spain with 208.9075, a long-awaited reward in the solo category for the Paris Olympic bronze medallist in the team event.
Swimming to Hymne à l’Amour by Céline Dion, Tio Casas delivered a poignant and expressive routine that earned the highest artistic impression score of the day, once again showcasing her unparalleled ability to connect with the music and the audience.
“I feel good about this medal because it was a very difficult routine and I really gave my all in the choreography,” she said. “We put a strong emphasis on artistic impression to make the routine as beautiful as possible. But I also know that I have to improve for the next competition, and increase the difficulty a little bit more to stay competitive.”
In the men’s solo free event her compatriot Caceres Iglesias captured gold in stunning fashion, making his senior European Championships debut one to remember. Swimming to Gimme All Your Love by Alabama Shakes, the 20-year-old impressed with power, control, and a mature sense of musicality.
His score of 188.9500 secured the top step of the podium. It also marked a breakthrough for a young athlete who has been on the Spanish national team for only two years and has been practising the sport for just four.
“I really hoped for this gold medal, I have worked a lot for this,” he said. “I’m so proud of my work, I’ve only been focusing on this routine ahead of these championships, I put a lot of passion into it, dreaming of this result.
“I’m going to call my mom now, I can’t wait to hear her. She’s probably screaming and crying right now. She’s always so proud of me, always behind me, I I love her so much.”
Italy’s 18-year-old Filippo Pelati, who had partnered Lucrezia Ruggiero to mixed duet technical bronze on the previous day, wasn’t too far behind, taking silver with 187.1288, despite a basemark, meaning he wasn’t credited his full difficulty.
The reigning European junior champion and 2022 world youth champion brought drama and creativity to his Devil-themed routine. Tall and commanding, Pelati aimed for a bold and theatrical presentation and delivered a strong statement in his senior solo debut.
“I’m very proud of how I swam today,” he said. “I could really feel my body dancing in the water with the music perfectly. I unfortunately received one basemark, but it’s a learning moment, and I know what to improve and train more to do better.”
Great Britain’s 19-year-old defending champion Ranjuo Tomblin – silver medallist with Isabelle Thorpe in the mixed duet technical – finished with bronze after also receiving a basemark that prevented a title repeat.
Still, his score of 173.3837 was enough to reach the podium with his routine, set to Rock Me Amadeus.
“This result still feels really good,” he said. “I’ve upped my degree of difficulty for this competition, but obviously, I unfortunately got a basemark. So I’ve got a few things to work on, especially for the World Championships.”
The afternoon session brought the team free final, with four nations competing. Notably absent were reigning champions Greece, opening the door for new contenders to shine. Spain, back in the event after skipping it in 2024, seized that opportunity with a performance that made a loud and clear statement.
Swimming first in the order, Spain – whose line-up included Dennis Gonzalez Boneu, gold medallist in the mixed duet technical with Mireia Hernandez Luna – delivered a memorable performance with its Insanity routine, a bold and captivating piece that has already earned gold at the past two World Cups.
The routine explores the line between madness and genius, ending with a message of self-liberation and celebration of individuality. It was powerful, precise, and left no doubt. Their score of 320.1147 set a bar no one else could reach, and the Paris Olympic bronze medallists clinched yet another gold with a 42-points margin.
“We are really happy about our performance,” Paula Ramirez Ibanez said. “I think we are on the right track to the World Championships. We are competing a lot this year, but we are gaining strength and confidence along the way.”
Italy took second place through the debut of its new Angels and Demons choreography. Several athletes from their 2024 silver-medal squad returned, but despite a compelling concept and the highest declared difficulty (65.038), a basemark hurt their chances of coming close to the Spaniards. Nevertheless the Italians secured silver with 277.7194, continuing their strong overall showing in Funchal.
“We are happy about this swim today,” Marta Iacoacci said. “It felt good to finally go in the water and compete. Now, we know we have to fix everything that wasn’t so good today for this routine, but we think of the next routine first. Tomorrow we will come back stronger and do our technical team, which we are really excited about.”
Bronze went to Israel, whose young and largely restructured team made its senior European debut after a wave of retirements last year. Its Spirit of Japan routine was expressive and promising, and although it incurred two basemarks the final score of 223.7710 was enough to secure a spot on the podium.
“We trained really hard for this, 10 hours a day per day with the whole team and our coaches,” Noga Levy said. “In each second we can give our 10,000%, we give it.”
Alexandra Lerman added: “This is only our second time in a senior competition so it’s a really good experience. We’re really proud to be here, to win this medal, and to represent our country and our flag.”
The Championships continue tomorrow with the duet free and mixed duet free finals starting at 09.00, followed by the team technical final at 16.00.
