Spanish artistic swimming continues to reap medals, one per day since the start of the European Championships in Belgrade, in Serbia. For now, all golden. This Wednesday, Dennis González and Emma García achieved first place in the mixed free duet final, beating the Italian couple formed by Filippo Pelati and Flaminia Vernice, also big favorites for gold, by just one point difference: 189.7938 the Spanish compared to the 188.6250 points of their greatest rivals. Third place on the podium was taken by Great Britain, a duo formed by Ranjou Tomblin – silver medalist in technical solo last Tuesday – and Beatrice Crass, with a score of 175.15363.
The Spanish couple performed the most difficult exercise —31.450— of the seven duos, losing and tying the young Italian couple with a base mark. But without a doubt the victory came due to the artistic impression – 83.5500 – where Dennis and Emma marked the difference with the Italians – superior in elements – and demonstrated the great expression of the couple in a choreography to the rhythm of hip hop.
All this despite the physical difficulties of both swimmers during these last months, a success that tasted like redemption. And, if that were not enough, it becomes the third gold for the Spanish artistic swimming delegation on the third day of the continental championship in Belgrade after Dennis’ victory in the free solo on Tuesday and the team’s victory in the technical routine on Monday.
The young duo from Italy opened the final with a water representation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and achieved, despite a base mark in the performance of one of the hybrids, a score impossible for the rest to beat. Neither the Cuban dance from Serbia—they failed in three elements—nor the recent couple from Portugal were close, only Great Britain, with a clean exercise of pure strength and energy, brushed the medals until settling on the third step of the podium.
The fight was a one-on-one with Spain, the great favorite to win the gold. Surpassed by the Italians by four points in elements that were very close in difficulty – the Spanish were slightly superior – and both affected with a base mark, Dennis and Emma had to excel in artistic impression, their great asset and strong point. And they did it, placing themselves five points above Filippo and Flaminia.
To the rhythm of Step Up and with hip hop choreography, the Spanish duo overthrew the ghosts of their injuries in the Belgrade outdoor pool. She missed the World Cup in Doha in February due to back problems. He operated on her problems due to compartment syndrome in her arms. “After the injury, after Qatar, I think I have worked very well and I have done everything I had to do step by step, and always with the help of my coaches, family and teammates, who are always by my side in these successes “, confessed the Spanish swimmer after last Tuesday’s victory in technical solo. At the Belgrade pool, Dennis jumped into the water with patches on his forearms, and came out grimacing in pain after remaining exhausted for a few seconds, floating in the water and complaining of the pain. They had not competed together since the Fukuoka World Cup last summer. That didn’t stop them either.
Their overexertion never erased their smiles in the water, and the reward and vindication of the two swimmers came in the form of a gold medal. But more medals could come: one more could go to Dennis, in the absence of the mixed technical duo final with Mireia Hernández.
Successes that show the sweet moment for artistic swimming in Spain, and that, with two more days left in the continental competition in Serbia, they are already aiming to try again to get on the podium at the Paris Olympic Games.
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