No jokes, just news. Since we skipped the March 1 Sync Up while covering the Paris World Cup, now there’s plenty to catch up on. From retirements and returns to coaching moves, new team rosters, and even a future Hall of Fame induction, the last few weeks have been busy. Let’s get into it.

Returns & Retirements

• Puerto Rico‘s Javier Ruisanchez has announced his return to elite, and aims to compete at this summer’s World Championships. The 28-year-old last competed at the 2023 World Championships, and had announced his retirement a few months later. He had since taken on coaching positions, most recently at the Santa Clara Aquamaids club in the U.S.
• On the other hand, Quentin Rakotomalala of France has officially left the competition world behind, as he explained in an open letter shared on his Instagram account. Rakotomalala is a two-time European bronze medalist in solo, and a five-time European Junior medalist. He also competed at the 2023 World Championships, and in three European Championships from 2022 to 2024.
• Two-time Olympian Shelly Bobritsky of Israel is also hanging up her suit. Bobritsky had been on the senior national team since 2017, participating in five World and European Championships. She also became European Champion in 2023, and is a five-time European medalist overall. In Paris, she and Ariel Nassee finished 11th in duet, Israel’s best finish at the Olympic Games.

 

Coaches Without Borders, Part 2

• Mayuko Fujiki, former head coach of Spain’s national team, has been working with Brazil‘s national team as technical consultant, as announced by the federation. She also worked with the national team of Israel in recent weeks in a similar capacity. Fujiki previously led Spain to a team bronze medal at the Paris Games, and had spent over 20 years as a coach with the national teams of Japan, the U.S., Spain and China. 
• Four-time Olympian and Tokyo bronze medalist Kseniya Sydorenko is working with the Australian national team alongside head coach Paula Klamburg. Although there have been no official announcements at this point, Sydorenko has moved to Perth and appeared in social media content alongside the team over the last few weeks. She supposedly fills the assistant coach position that Artistic Swimming Australia had advertised last fall. Previously, Sydorenko coached in Spain and Slovakia.
• Masayo Imura, former head coach of Japan, worked with the duet of Klara Bleyer and Amelie Blumenthal-Haz of Germany. Imura, who coached the Japanese team through eight Olympics, had already collaborated with Bleyer last season.
• World and European Champion Giorgio Minisini headed to Australia at the end of March to lead coaching workshops and a developmental project until April 20th. Minisini will work closely with Artistic Swimming WA and the Australian Federation to train new coaches and offer his experience to the national team athletes.

New Year, New Teams

• Canada Artistic Swimming has published the names of the athletes who make up the 2025 senior full-time training group. The group includes six returning Olympians as well as three additional athletes who were part of the Doha World Championship team. Halle Pratt, a Tokyo Olympian, is notably back at the elite level after a three-year hiatus, and joins Paris Olympians Audrey Lamothe, Raphaelle Plante, Kenzie Priddell, Claire Scheffel and Florence Tremblay. World Champion and three-time Olympian Jacqueline Simoneau is notably missing from the list, but the 28-year-old has made no formal announcement regarding the next step in her career.
• More news from down under. Team Australia also welcomes back a handful of Olympians with Georgia Courage-Gardiner, Margo Joseph-Kuo and Zoe Poulis returning this season. Paris Olympic reserve Natalia Caloiero is also continuing on.
• The National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport (CONADE) has called up the athletes who will represent Mexico at the World Championships this summer. Five Olympians return: Regina Alferez, Fernanda Arellano, Itzamary Gonzalez, Joana Jimenez and Pamela Toscano. Paris Olympic reserve Glenda Inzunza is also part of the squad, as well as three-time World Junior Champion Diego Villalobos.

International Swimming Hall of Fame

• Andrea Fuentes, current head coach of Spain’s national team and four-time Olympic medalist, will be the next artistic swimmer to be inducted in the International Swimming Hall of Fame. For the first time, the induction ceremony will take place during the World Aquatics Championships, scheduled in Singapore in July.

Job Openings

• Swiss Aquatics is looking for a new national artistic swimming coach (50-80%) for August or September. Check out the job posting here.

ARTICLE BY CHRISTINA MARMET

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