Gold medalists team Russia (C), silver medalists team China (L) and bronze medalists team Spain attend the awarding ceremony for the Team Free event of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
BUDAPEST, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russia topped the medal table with nine golds and one bronze as the 2026 World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships concluded here on Sunday, while Spain and China finished second and third respectively.
Spain collected two golds, four silvers and four bronzes, while China finished with five silvers and two bronzes.
On the final day, China's Zhou Kunyi claimed bronze in the women's solo free final, scoring 261.4876 points for her routine themed "Time Gap". Russia's Ekaterina Shtatnova won gold, while Spain's Naia Alvarez took silver.
In the men's solo free final, Russia's Zakhar Trofimov claimed his third gold medal of the championships with 267.0426. Spain's Eneko Sanchez and Kazakhstan's Viktor Druzin took silver and bronze respectively, while China's Chen Xiuping finished fourth with a routine themed "Journey Through the Secret Realm."
The team free final brought the competition to a close. China performed a routine themed around the traditional Chinese piece "High Mountains and Flowing Water" and scored 261.3654 to take silver. Russia won gold with 277.6814, while Spain secured bronze with 251.1846.
Discussing how to remain competitive under the current rules, three-time Olympic champion Svetlana Kolesnichenko, now coaching Russia's junior team, stressed the need to combine difficulty with artistry.
"We are artistic swimming, and we should create with the artistry too, and working with difficulty, of course," she said.
Kolesnichenko added that Russia is constantly looking for new ideas. "We try to think and create something new every day to stay stronger and be on the top."
Spain coach Sandra Montes also highlighted the balance between difficulty and artistic impression.
"We are trying to maintain the artistic impression as much as we can while we are increasing the difficulty," she said.
She also pointed to the close connection between Spain's junior and senior programs, saying the young swimmers train with the senior national team throughout the year.
"They are training together all the year. That's an important part of the results," Montes said.
The World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships attracted nearly 300 athletes from more than 35 countries and regions. ■
Silver medalists team China attend the awarding ceremony for the Team Free event of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
Team members of China perform during the Team Free final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
A team member of Spain competes during the Team Free final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
Silver medalists team China attend the awarding ceremony for the Team Free event of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
Team members of China perform during the Team Free final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
Team members of Russia perform during the Team Free final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
Team members of Spain react after the Team Free final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
Team members of China react after the Team Free final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
Team members of China perform during the Team Free final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)
