After a relatively early start to the season in Paris back in February, the World Cup circuit heads to Soma Bay for its second leg. With the season now in full-er swing, more nations are ready to take the stage.
This stop in Egypt will welcome athletes from 27 countries and marks the first outing of the year for several top nations. It brings with it a wave of exciting debuts, forecasted returns, veterans stepping into new roles, promising young talent ready to make a statement, and undoubtedly, thrilling showdowns and fresh choreographies.
As anticipated, the event marks the first major outing since 2021 for both Belarusian and Russian athletes under neutral status, apart from Vasilina Khandoshka who’s been competing as an individual neutral athlete for over a year.
Belarus makes its return with its entire senior squad competing in Soma Bay under “Neutral Athletes A“. The country is going all-in, with entries in all three team routines as well as in solo and duet. The senior duet lineup is still taking shape, with the Tokyo Olympics pair of Vasilina Khandoshka and Daria Fedaruk (née Kulagina) being challenged by Marharyta Kiryliuk and Valeryia Valasach, newcomers in this event. These two actually finished ahead at the Federation’s Cup last December and the most recent national championships.
Meanwhile, Russian athletes will compete under “Neutral Athletes B” with a mix of senior and junior entries. The senior duet of Mayya Doroshko and Tatiana Gayday should swim in the technical duet, while the junior pair of Anastasiia Sidorina and Veronika Sokolova is entered in both technical and free duets. Gayday will also swim in the technical solo event. On the team front, the Russian junior squad is set to compete in both the technical and free routines, which will be a valuable opportunity to assess the depth of this next generation.
This leg will also be the first time this season we see team routines from Bulgaria, Canada, China, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The Chinese squad, while not fielding its A-team, still remains a podium threat, as always.
For Canada, Egypt and Italy, Soma Bay is the first team competition since the 2024 Olympics. All three nations have undergone significant turnover but have retained key veterans to guide their newer teammates.
Italy’s roster features Olympians and familiar names like Marta Iacoacci, Sofia Mastroianni, Enrica Piccoli, Lucrezia Ruggiero and Giulia Vernice, with Paris reserve Susanna Pedotti also joining the fold. One of the most notable updates from Italy is the return of Lucrezia Ruggiero to the mixed duet.
After stepping away from the event last season to concentrate on the Olympic team and duet routines, the World and European champion is back, this time with a new partner Filippo Pelati. The two won gold in the event at the most recent Italian Championships. Ruggiero does also remain entered in the women’s duet and is set to swim alongside Beatrice Esegio in the technical routine.
As discussed in the latest Sync Up, Canada benefits from six returning Olympians. 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. As a team, the Canadians will only compete in the technical event, where they should unveil a new routine.
The home team of Egypt sees the return of four Paris Olympians, 19-year-olds Mariam Ahmed, Nadine Barsoum, Salma Marei and Sondos Mohamed. 23-year-old Nour Shamala is also back on the national team for the first time since the 2017 World Championships, and after a successful collegiate run at the University of the Incarnate Word in the U.S. The Egyptians should showcase new routines as well this weekend, including a new acrobatic team portraying the story of the pharaoh Tutankhamun.
Keep an eye out for Zeina Amr as well, who has been outstanding at the youth level over the last few years. At the 2023 World Youth Championships, she finished 10th overall in figures and sixth in solo, on her way to also helping her team to two top-seven finishes. Now 16, Amr is entered in all three team routines for her country as well as in the technical duet alongside Barsoum.
Ukraine should compete in the technical and acrobatic team routines, and will also present new duets, though the names on one of them will be familiar. Daria Moshynska and Anastasiia Shmonina, the reigning World Junior Champions in free duet and vice-World Junior Champions in technical duet, are set to continue their strong duet campaign in this new Olympic cycle. Younger teammates and twins Mariia and Uliana Hrynishyna will make their senior international debut in the free duet.
Greece’s senior team will make its first appearance this year, although only in the acrobatic event. The nation’s new duet is quite intriguing as well, as Olympian Sofia-Evangelia Malkogeorgou, 27, is paired with 16-year-old Vasiliki Thanou, the reigning World Youth Champion in duet. This mix of experience and youth could be a strong combination going forward.
The teams of Spain and Japan, who already showed off in Paris, will be back in Soma Bay. Spain is expanding its program this weekend after only competing in the technical events last time out. The nation is entered in every event except the women’s free solo.
The Spaniards will unveil their highly-anticipated new free team routine set to the theme of “Crazy,” which promises to be a showstopper from the little snippets already shared online. Notably, Dennis Gonzalez Boneu will swim in this routine, marking his first appearance in a team event at the senior level.
In the duet, the new pairing of Olympians Lilou Lluis and Iris Tió will debut a new free choreography themed around “Femininity.” Given their individual strengths and experience, this new duet should be one to watch closely.
Similarly, Japan continues its expansion into more events, now entering the acrobatic team and free team routines alongside its already strong technical team, which earned silver in Paris.
Switzerland’s silver medalists from Paris, Melody Halbeisen and Aimée Michel, return to the World Cup after a dominant performance at the national championships last week, claiming both duet honors. Halbeisen also took home the national title in free solo, while teammate Anna-Sophia Aeschbacher earned gold in technical solo.
After last season competing solely in solo and team, Germany’s Frithjof Seidel debuts a new mixed duet partnership with Daria Tonn. The pair just won the German national title, and this meet will be their first international outing together. Klara Bleyer and Amelie Blumenthal-Haz are also expected back after their noteworthy debut in Paris. Bleyer did just miss nationals due to illness, so she’s hopefully ready to go this weekend.
Soma Bay also marks the season debut for Colombia, headlined by veteran Gustavo Sanchez. Always a captivating performer, the reigning two-time World bronze medalist in men’s solo and 2024 World Aquatics Best Artistic Swimming Male Athlete is set to compete in both solo events as well as the mixed duet.
Finally, be on the lookout for another young star stepping up to the senior level this weekend: Türkiye’s Selin Hurmeric. Still only 15 years old, she is the reigning European Youth Champion in figures, and fifth-place finisher in solo at these same championships. At the last World Youth Championships, she claimed seventh place in solo as well. This weekend, she will compete in the free team and free duet routines, swimming alongside the experienced Ece Ungor in the latter.
The competition starts tomorrow at 10:00 am local, with the women’s technical solo event. Follow the event at this link.
ARTICLE BY CHRISTINA MARMET
Photo: Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
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