USA Artistic Swimming announced Monday that Francesca Zampieri has joined its coaching staff as a National Team Performance Coach, bringing extensive international coaching experience to the U.S. program.
“Francesca brings more than 25 years of experience leading elite teams around the world,” said Lara Teixeira, Chief of Sport for USA Artistic Swimming. “Her technical knowledge, artistic expertise and fresh perspective will help us continue to elevate our choreography and performances. She will strengthen our program while complementing the outstanding work of our existing coaching staff.”
Zampieri will join a U.S. national team coaching staff that includes Megan Abarca, Paula Klamburg and Marivi Escalona. The appointment comes as the program builds toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where the U.S. will look to build on its team success in Paris and contend for a medal in the duet.
“We are strengthening our coaching staff for LA28,” Adam Andrasko, USA Artistic Swimming CEO, told Inside Synchro. “Our athletes deserve the greatest opportunity we can offer them to repeat as medalists in the team and make a serious run at a duet medal.”
Zampieri most recently worked with Switzerland’s artistic swimming program, coaching one of the country’s two duets through the 2026 season, including the World Cup circuit and the World Junior Championships.
In 2025, she led Aimée Michel and Melody Halbeisen to a silver medal in the duet free at the World Cup in Paris, securing Switzerland’s first-ever World Cup medal in the event.
Earlier in her career, Zampieri coached Liechtenstein’s duet of Lara Mechnig and Marluce Schierscher to a historic qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The pair finished 17th, marking the country’s first appearance in Olympic artistic swimming.
Over the years, Zampieri has held several roles within the Swiss program. She served as the leading assistant coach of the Swiss junior national team in 2023 and coaching the delegation’s duet at the 2025 European Junior Championships in Athens. At club level, she served as head coach of the B1 group at Artistic Swimming Bern.
Zampieri also worked with Spain’s national team under then-head coach Mayuko Fujiki in 2022 and 2023, and was notably part of the Spanish coaching staff at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest.
With nearly 30 years of coaching experience, including more than 10 in Switzerland, she now joins the U.S. program as it prepares for a home Olympics.
“I will give my absolute best to make the athletes, the coaches and the Federation proud,” Zampieri said of her appointment with Team USA. “I am truly looking forward to this new adventure and to working together towards our shared goals.”
ARTICLE BY CHRISTINA MARMET
Cover photo courtesy of USA Artistic Swimming
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