Catalan Iris Tió, "in shock" after a historic feat

BarcelonaBarcelona's Iris Tió was crowned world champion in the freestyle singles event of artistic swimming at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore on Tuesday. A historic feat, as it is the first time the Spanish delegation has climbed to the top step of the podium in this discipline. "I'm in shock," said Tió, exultant with happiness after completing a near-perfect routine.

To the rhythm of Hymn to LoveIn Edith Piaf's version of the song that Celine Dion sang during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, Tió achieved a score of 245.1913 points, with a score of 112.9000 for artistic impression and 132.2913 for execution. She thus surpassed the Chinese swimmer Huyan Xu, who remained with 241.0025 points (110.0000 and 131.0025). "When China's score came out I was amazed, because the Chinese woman is very good and the Belarusian's routine was very difficult," she explained, referring to Vasilina Khandoshka, who is competing under a neutral flag and who received 239.5437 points. The result surprised everyone, considering that until now China had been the dominant force in artistic swimming at the World Championships.

22-year-old Iris Tió's triumph coincides with Andrea Fuentes' return to the Spanish team, this time as coach. "I'm so happy, I can hardly believe it. I'm on cloud nine. Crying, like I'm in shock. It's the first time Spain has won a gold medal in the singles at a World Championships. I mean, I can't believe it," said the newly crowned champion in statements to the Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN).

Iris Tió, an artistic swimmer almost by chance

The daughter and mother of musicians, Iris Tió has grown accustomed to classical music since she was little, as it's what she often listened to at home. But her passion for swimming came, so to speak, by chance. When she was five years old, she was walking with her family next to a pool and heard music. Curious, she wanted to go in and there she saw many swimmers performing an exercise in what was then called synchronized swimming, now renamed artistic swimming.

There began her love affair with a sport in which she grew until she reached the senior national team. With names like Gemma Mengual, Ona Carbonell, and Andrea Fuentes as role models, it was Fuentes himself who noticed her to star in the solo exercise, even before she began working as a national team coach. Time proved her right. A success that represents a new step in the path of a team, historically made up of Catalan swimmers, which is working to regain its status among the world elite.

With this, the Spanish delegation now has four medals in Singapore, all in artistic swimming. Dennis González opened the scoring, taking the silver medal in the men's technical single. Iris Tió then took bronze in the technical single, along with the entire team in the free routine. "I want to thank the coaches because without them this wouldn't have been possible. We're the best team in the world, and we're here defending our work tooth and nail."