‘Beautiful to see other men try this sport', say male artistic swimmers

Straits Times

6 days ago

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Britain's Ranjuo Tomblin initially faced sceptism from friends about his decision to go into artistic swimming, but says perceptions have changed since.
SINGAPORE – When Ranjuo Tomblin first dipped his toes into artistic swimming in 2017, some of his friends questioned his choice of sport.
Despite the scepticism, the Briton stayed the course. Over time, those friends came around and now support the 19-year-old's endeavours.
At 15, Tomblin became the first artistic male swimmer to represent Britain internationally when he competed at the 2021 European Junior Championships.
Since then, he has pushed the boundaries in a discipline traditionally viewed as a women's sport, achieving success at the European level and World Cup circuit.
He said: 'It's not a well-known sport, it's not the usual football, rugby, which in Great Britain are quite common.
'At the beginning, my friends were a bit – I wouldn't say not accepting – but just a bit like 'that's a bit weird' and stuff like that.
'But as I've gone through the years, gotten those results, I feel like it's definitely more accepted by my friends.'
Tomblin's journey is not an isolated one, but part of a larger transformation in artistic swimming as it gradually began embracing male participation.
The pivotal moment came in 2015, when the World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, introduced mixed duets – the first time male athletes competed at the global level.
Since then, the opportunities for men in the sport have grown, with the inclusion of solo events and male swimmers in team routines at the world championships.
At the ongoing World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, there are 22 male athletes competing across seven events, in contrast to the 2015 edition, which featured 10 male swimmers across two events.
Much of this progress has been paved by trailblazers like American Bill May, who has become synonymous with male participation in artistic swimming.
Today, a new generation is building on his legacy.
Among them is Chile's Nicolas Campos, who is competing at the WCH Arena this week.
The 17-year-old, who is the first male artistic swimmer to represent Chile at major international competitions, is encouraged to see interest in the sport growing among men.
Nicolas, a medallist at the World Junior Artistic Swimming Championships, said: 'It's beautiful to see other men try this sport. I think it's very beautiful and people don't have the fear of being judged by other people.'
Chile's Nicolas Campos is encouraged to see more men competing in artistic swimming.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
For Tomblin, the shift is evident at the grassroots level back home. He noted that there were about five mixed duets at the 2025 National Age Groups competition in England. In the past, he often competed alone.
But Swedish swimmer David Martinez noted that although participation has increased and there are more opportunities, lingering perceptions that artistic swimming is meant only for women makes it challenging to attract more men.
He said: 'I think a lot of people have assumptions... I do think you need to grow up, it's really not (the case). Dancing is for everyone, it's a form of art, it's a sport. Sport and art is for everyone and I feel like people are too close-minded.'
While he feels there has been progress, Sweden's David Martinez also noted that assumptions that artistic swimming is only for women makes it challenging to get more men in the sport.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
One of the sport's brightest stars, Spain's Dennis Gonzalez, has had to navigate those challenges.
After winning gold in the solo technical event at the 2024 European Championships, he found himself the target of hateful comments online.
He told Olympics.com that his first instinct was to hide, but the world champion responded by posting a video condemning the hate.
In that interview, Gonzalez, who has claimed a silver and bronze in Singapore, said: 'If I show weakness, how is a younger person supposed to face those comments?
'I want to show that no matter what, I'll keep doing what I love.'
Spain's Dennis Gonzalez condemned hateful remarks he received online after winning the solo technical event at the 2024 European championships.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
While the roster of men's events at the world level has expanded, participation at the Olympics remains limited.
Men were allowed to compete at the Olympics for the first time at the 2024 Paris Games, although none of the teams fielded men. The 2028 Los Angeles Games will not feature mixed duets.
For many male athletes, their mission is not only personal success but creating a platform that encourages others to follow in their footsteps.
Russia's Aleksandr Maltsev, a veteran in the sport with six world championships gold medals, feels the responsibility to keep going to inspire aspiring artistic swimmers.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Russia's Aleksandr Maltsev, winner of the men's solo free and technical in Singapore, said: 'It's very difficult to show every time very high technical and artistic impression.
'I work very hard every day to show my best in the competition and show young athletes an example because they are watching for me as a role model so I'm very pleased.'