The first day of the Soma Bay World Cup saw four events and a fair share of wind, technical hiccups, but also some standout performances. Germany’s Klara Bleyer opened the gold rush in the women’s technical solo, followed by Guo Muye of China in the men’s event, Russia (Neutral Athletes B) in the women’s technical duet, and Spain closing the day in style with a win in the free team.
WOMEN TECHNICAL SOLO
The women’s technical solo got underway in the morning… but the livestream didn’t. For those of us not in Soma Bay (so, most of us), that meant missing routines 1 through 11 entirely. By the time the feed decided to join the action, we were often treated not to the athletes, but to extended close-ups of the coaches, from the front and mid-routine, intently watching what we, too, would have liked to watch.
Thankfully, that brief foray into “reaction cam” territory faded for the next event, and we could finally settle into the competition without any further issues.
One of the routines we sadly didn’t get to see was from Ukraine’s Daria Moshynska, who earned silver in her senior solo debut. A two-time European Junior Champion in the event, she hadn’t competed solo since 2022, having focused on duet and team in the senior ranks over the last few years. Hopefully, this won’t be the first and last time she brings that routine out this season.
What we did get to see was Klara Bleyer of Germany, who took her first gold in this World Cup with a confident and polished swim to her “Spain” routine, on which she’s worked on with Spanish Olympian Ona Carbonell. She kept the same declared difficulty as in the Paris leg (32.90), the highest of the field today, and executed with precision. Following her gold in free solo in Paris, she continues to show great consistency and steady progression this season.
“She proved here once again that she has arrived at the top of the world,” Stephanie Marx, national team coach, told the German federation. “In a huge field of 31 competitors and a top-class line-up, she came out on top against the competition.”
Bleyer herself was also satisfied: “That was a good competition. I didn’t go in expecting to win a medal at all. Next week I’ll be back in Spain with Ona, because there are still a few things I can improve on.”
Competing under “Neutral Athletes A,” Vasilina Khandoshka of Belarus earned bronze again, just as she had in the last leg. This time, however, she significantly lowered her DD from 37.55 to 30.30. Her artistic impression score remained about the same, but the lower declared difficulty allowed Bleyer, who was fourth in Paris, to move ahead. While it was probably a good choice from Khandoshka to opt for a more cautious strategy, it was possibly too conservative this time around.
Spain’s Iris Tió, the gold medalist in Paris, delivered another powerful and emotional performance despite having to deal with a music issue that forced her to restart her routine. She went on to receive the highest artistic impression score of the day, but a Coach Card error resulted in two basemarks, dropping her to 15th.
Russia’s Tatiana Gayday, swimming for “Neutral Athletes B,” made her senior solo debut with a routine set to “Winter.” It marked her first appearance in the event since the 2017 European Juniors. Unfortunately, she didn’t execute her TRE1A element properly, resulting in a zero and ultimately impacting her ranking despite strong execution throughout the rest of the swim.
MEN TECHNICAL SOLO
Eight men competed in the technical solo event, including an impressive three athletes from Kazakhstan, continuing the nation’s strong track record in male representation across all events and age groups.
16-year-old Guo Muye of China took the gold with a far more composed and confident swim than in the Paris World Cup. His “Wizard”-themed routine earned 224.5450 here, with improved execution and a slightly lower declared difficulty than a few weeks ago (30.30 vs. 31.75), which obviously seemed to pay off.
Ranjuo Tomblin of Great Britain, the gold medalist a few weeks ago, claimed silver here. Performing to The 5th by David Garrett, he once again delivered a calm, confident routine that’s quickly becoming his trademark. His consistency is key, and medals keep coming.
Eduard Kim of Kazakhstan, silver medalist in Paris, stepped onto the podium again with bronze. He declared the lowest DD of the field but his high artistic impression score (96.9500) helped him to a medal finish once more. Just like in Paris, his unique artistry and captivating delivery pulled the judges and the audience in from the very start.
A mention too for Aldiyar Ramazanov, also of Kazakhstan, who is still junior-eligible but already looks right at home in this event. Ramazanov delivered very clean technical elements and managed a basemark-free swim, a significant improvement from Paris. With a bit more polish on his artistic side, he’s well on track to be in the medal mix before long.
TECHNICAL DUET
The women’s technical duet took place under challenging conditions, with strong winds making everyone’s jobs in this outdoor pool a tiny bit harder.
The first duet out, Mayya Doroshko and Tatiana Gayday of Russia, again competing as “Neutral Athletes B,” made an immediate impact. It was the first international appearance as a duet for Doroshko, a three-time World Champion in 2019, and Gayday, a two-time World Junior Champion in 2018.
Their “Indian Dance” routine was packed with difficulty, with a declared DD of 35.70, the highest of the event, and they delivered a precise and confident performance. Their score of 268.0551 set the bar high right from the start and ultimately held up for gold.
Ukraine’s duet of Daria Moshynska and Anastasiia Shmonina earned silver with a dynamic and dramatic swim to score 261.6125. The pair, already proven on the junior circuit with silver at the 2024 World Junior Championships in this event, continues to transition really well into the senior field.
Canada’s Audrey Lamothe and Ximena Ortiz Montano claimed bronze with a score of 256.2900, narrowly edging out Germany by just 0.5508. Their Mission Impossible routine, the same used in the Olympic Games, looked more refined than in the Paris World Cup, and the improvements since were reflected in the scores.
Japan’s duet of Fujii Moka and Higa Moe swam its routine themed around “Androids.” It earned the highest artistic impression score of the day, but a basemark on their pair acrobatic was just enough to drop them down the rankings and end their podium hopes amidst such a strong field.
Similarly, Spain’s Lilou Lluis and Txell Ferré, gold medalists in Paris, struggled here. They received a basemark on their free hybrid, which, despite their strong artistic impression score, also meant they were out of podium contention this time.
FREE TEAM
This long first day of competition in Soma Bay wrapped up with the free team final, featuring 10 entries and some of the most anticipated debuts of the meet.
The day ended much better than how it started for Spain, as the nation delivered a standout performance that was nothing short of mesmerizing. The Spaniards finally unveiled their much-anticipated new free team routine, “Madness” and it certainly delivered.
The choreography stood out with its dynamic pace, sharp transitions, and creative structure. The routine moved quickly and smoothly through its musical variations, and the team managed to maintain both control and clarity throughout. The acrobatic elements were particularly eye-catching, inventive and well-executed (the first one even receiving a 10.0 from a judge), while the overall energy and interpretation made for a compelling performance.
It’s clearly a work with a lot of thought and structure behind it, and while the team still considers it a work in progress, it’s already in impressive shape for its first time out.
“I wanted to represent that corner of the brain that breaks free from the norm; the one that, when we let it loose, does incredible things. I love it when we leave social barriers behind and dare to truly be ourselves,” said head coach Andrea Fuentes.
Ultimately, Spain took gold with a commanding 317.8093, over 32 points ahead of Japan in silver, including a standout 144.6000 in artistic impression and only 2.05 in synchronization errors. This event also marked a milestone for the country, as Dennis González Boneu became the first male swimmer to compete in a senior-level team routine for Spain.
Japan opened the event with the debut of its new “Bushido” routine, which is a Samurai moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. The team delivered a clean and composed swim with strong elements, and, while not quite able to match Spain’s score, still had a solid outing to secure silver with 285.4332.
The team of “Neutral Athletes B”, which was Russia’s junior team, rounded out the podium in third. Performing a strong routine to the theme of “Fury of the Storm,” the team showed great precision, height and consistency, having declared the highest difficulty of the field with 74.107.
The execution was strong across the board, though a single basemark and most importantly an 8-point penalty for failing to show all eight athletes doing movements from every family in the difficulty table, ultimately did them in. That penalty actually cost them the runner-up position, and the squad had to settle for bronze with a score of 281.5479.
ARTICLE BY CHRISTINA MARMET
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