The offseason has started which means, Sync Up is back! This month, we’re diving into the latest coaching changes, big retirements, and even a splash of style from the Paris Fashion Week.

The Coaching Carousel in Full Swing

• Canada Artistic Swimming has “parted ways” with senior national team head coach Anna Voloshyna. Voloshyna took up her position in February after the Doha World Championships and led the team to a sixth-place finish at the Paris Olympics.
• Anastasia Goutseva has left her position as head coach of the national team of Greece after three years. Another article in the Greek media specified that she “left her position after accepting a large financial proposal that the [Greek federation] could not cover.” Based on photos shared today by Singapore Aquatics on Instagram, it appears she has returned to Singapore in some capacity.
• Svetlana Blecher, coach of the Israel national team since the late 1990s, has returned to Moscow, Russia, for the foreseeable future for family reasons.
• Applications for assistant coaches positions for the senior national teams of Australia and the USA have also recently closed, so keep an eye out for these openings to be filled as well.

 

Outstanding athletes are moving on

• Linda Cerruti of Italy is hanging up her suit after nearly 15 years on the senior national team. Cerruti competed in three Olympic Games, eight World Championships (winning six medals) and seven European Championships (winning 26 medals).
• Marta Fiedina of Ukraine, two-time Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo and two-time World Champion for Ukraine, has announced her retirement. Fiedina had joined the senior team in 2018 and competed in four World and European Championships.
• Wada Ami, a Paris Olympian for Japan, has ended her career in artistic swimming to focus on her health. Wada had joined the senior national team in 2022, and contributed to winning medals at the World Championships and Asian Games. After her head slammed into the water while practicing a jump, she had been suffering from dizziness and other symptoms since April. The symptoms continued, and she was diagnosed with “vestibular neuritis” during a test this month. She decided to retire in order to prioritize treatment.
• Manon Disbeaux of France has also retired. Disbeaux served as reserve to the Paris Olympic team, and had been on the senior national team since the 2017 season. She competed in two World Championships and three European Championships, notably winning bronze in acrobatic team in 2022.

 

Lawsuits in South Africa

• South African artistic swimmers Jessica Hayes-Hill and Laura Strugnell won their legal appeal after being sanctioned and sent home from the World Championships in Doha last February. At the time, the athletes were charged with “deceitful actioning of training protocol” by Swimming South Africa (SSA) but were given no specifics. A court found SSA’s disciplinary process unfair, leading the pair to now sue SSA for R7.2 million, citing financial and reputational damages, including lost sponsorships and Olympic opportunities, as well as emotional distress.

Read more: “Swimming SA in deep water after illegitimately sinking duo’s bid for Olympic qualification“

• Despite the court ruling, SSA maintains the swimmers’ behaviour violated its constitution, and that it “compromised the hard work of the rest of the artistic swimming team.” SSA has vowed to defend itself in court and intends to review the appeal decision, citing the swimmers’ “deceitful” actions during the competition.

Read more: “Swimming South Africa hits back at pending lawsuit by artistic swimmers, claiming ‘deplorable conduct’”

Artistic swimming at the Paris Fashion Week

• France‘s senior national team and Giorgio Minisini of Italy performed in the Christian Louboutin SS25 show during the Paris Fashion Week. The show was set at Paris’ iconic Piscine Molitor, and was co-created with artistic director David LaChapelle and choreographed by Blanca Li.

White House Visit

• American president Joe Biden welcomed Team USA’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes to the White House, including the silver-winning artistic swimming team.