USA Artistic Swimming Earns First Senior International Duet Medal in Seven Years, Debuts New Routines at World Cup Pontevedra

USA Artistic Swimming concluded competition at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup in Pontevedra, Spain, with a historic silver medal in the Women’s Duet Technical event and several promising performances from both veteran and emerging athletes as they continue preparations for the World Cup Super Final and Junior World Championships. 

The United States sent a delegation focused on solos and duets to Pontevedra, providing valuable international experience and an opportunity to debut new routines against some of the world’s top competitors. 

With a strategic focus on development and preparation for upcoming events, the competition served as an important stepping stone toward the World Cup Super Final and Junior World Championships. 

"Based on the tight timeline between Olympic Trials and the World Cup, our strategy was to focus on preparing the team for the Super Final while giving our solos and duets valuable international competition experience," said Head Coach Megan Abarca. 

The highlight of the competition came in the Women’s Duet Technical event, where Anita Alvarez and Jaime Czarkowski earned the first senior international duet medal for the United States in seven years, claiming silver with a score of 290.5816. The result marks a major milestone for the developing partnership as they continue building toward the LA28 Olympic Games. 

The pair also debuted their new Women’s Duet Free routine, narrowly missing the podium with a fourth-place finish. 

"Within the course of this season I have already seen a tremendous improvement in the confidence and connection in the pairing of Anita and Jaime," Abarca said. "I am proud of how they've approached this competition with focus and determination. This makes me so excited to see what they will be capable of accomplishing together in the future." 

After competing with Senior National Team member Ghizal Akbar at previous World Cup stops this season, Field partnered with Anamaria Camero in Pontevedra as the pair prepares for the Junior World Championships in August. The competition provided valuable experience as they continue developing their partnership. 

"I was excited to compete in the duet event at such a high level," Camero said. "It made me feel proud of all the hard work Kanako and I have put in, and it was such a great experience to perform together." 

The duo finished 25th while gaining valuable feedback and experience ahead of Junior Worlds. 

Kanako Field made her senior-level technical solo debut, placing 25th with a score of 187.2250. Swimming to Hi-Lo by Bishop Briggs, Field's routine highlights the emotional highs and lows experienced by elite athletes and serves as an important steppingstone toward this summer's Junior World Championships in Budapest. 

Field's performance marked her first solo appearance since competing at the 2023 Youth World Championships, where she earned a silver medal and hopes to make a repeat in Budapest. 

The Mixed Duet events featured rising stars Yilian Yuan and David Llorente, who finished ninth in both the technical and free events. 

Yuan said the pair's familiarity and strong support system helped them stay composed throughout the competition. After spending most of the season together in technical mixed duet and quickly preparing their free routine before the event, she felt confident competing alongside David on the world stage. 

"I just want to have swims that we're happy with and leave a good impression on the world stage," Yuan said. 

Pontevedra marked Llorente's first senior international competition, where he competed in both Mixed Duet events and the Men’s Solo Technical competition. 

"Of course, it's exciting to have a male athlete representing the USA on the world stage," Abarca said. "The most important thing for David is gaining experience and confidence as he prepares for Junior Worlds and future international competitions." 

Competing to Run Boy Run, Llorente delivered a strong performance to place sixth and avoid any base marks. 

The competition provided important feedback on newly developed routines, including the debut of Alvarez and Czarkowski's free duet and the updated choreography for Alvarez's free solo. 

Looking ahead, Team USA will return to full-team competition at the World Cup Super Final in Toronto, where athletes will compete in all three team events, along with both women's solo and duet events. 

"We want to show that we've continued to grow and improve since our last competition," Abarca said. "This will be our first competition with our full Olympic Training Squad, and we want to finish the season with strong, cohesive, and artistically driven performances." 

Several athletes from the Pontevedra roster will continue their international season at the Junior World Championships, including Kanako Field, David Llorente, Anamaria Camero and Yilian Yuan. 

"I am tremendously proud of all of our athletes' swims this past week in Pontevedra," Abarca said. "We know that exposure and competition always makes us stronger, and the feedback we received from judges will be important as we prepare for Toronto and the Super Final." 

• Women's Solo Free, Anita Alvarez: 10th Place, 222.0701
• Mixed Duet Technical: 9th Place, 150.7724
• Men Solo Technical, David Llorente: 6th place, 200.9366
• Women's Duet Free: 4th place, 260.7817
• Women's Solo Technical, Anita Alvarez: 7th Place, 239.4534
• Women's Solo Technical, Kanako Field: 25th Place, 187.2250