Analysis of Spain's synchronized swimming crisis

From the 2003 World Championships to the 2013 edition, both held in Barcelona, synchronized swimming has been present on 33 out of the 36 podiums. Spain finished fourth on three occasions: the team in 2003 and the combo in 2007 and 2011. But this prodigious decade, in which Spain oscillated between the second and third world ranking, has definitively shattered in Kazan, where Ona Carbonell alone maintains her status. After all the preliminaries and some finals have been completed, Spain is, according to the judges, the fifth country in the world, behind Russia, China, Japan, and Ukraine. This change in cycle coincides with a new coaching staff, formed after the dismissal of Anna Tarrés in 2012, just before the last major Spanish championship. What are the causes of this synchronized swimming crisis?

Generational Change

"The main problem in Spain is that there are many very young swimmers who need to make a name for themselves, aside from other things, of course," says a synchronized swimming judge present in Kazan. The average age is 22 years, and 30 percent of the team did not participate in the last World Championships. The group has suffered unexpected losses, such as Marga Crespí (2014) or Andrea Fuentes (2013). The team has lost personality and experience.

Team Management

An example is the selection of Ona Carbonell's partner in the duet. Since Andrea's retirement, the Spanish soloist has had three different partners (Crespí, Klamburg, and Camacho), which shows instability in a team still testing how to achieve immediate results and not lose positions.

Distance from the lobby

Relationships with judges and the closed circle of synchronized swimming are crucial, and Spain has been losing influence. Other teams, such as Japan, which will host the next Games, or Ukraine, with close ties to Russia, have been positioning themselves better.

New Criteria

FINA decided to change the regulations and focus more on technical elements and execution, leaving aside the artistic aspect, one of Spain's strengths. The rules created confusion, although the Spanish team has adapted.

Renewal of the Podium

Except for Russia in the last 15 years or the United States in the 80s and 90s, no other country has spent as many years on the podium as Spain. Japan, China, Canada, France... They have all had their moments of weakness and have fallen. How long will it last? It seems that the drought will be long.