Rosalía explained, in meticulous detail, the creative process of her ‘Mio Cristo’, which narrates the devoted relationship between Saint Clare of Assisi and Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. It took her a while to find the point that gave meaning to all the thoughts swirling in her head, and she managed to make the click with the piano in Los Angeles, as detailed in ABC. Piano and Los Angeles, two terms linked to the life of Iris Tió, whose choreography in tribute to that Rosalía who so impresses the Spanish team (and artistic swimming in general, with more and more routines using her themes) earned her the European gold thanks to a performance for the ages in Paris.
Read more Candela López: “We want to complete the legislature to respond to current challenges”
Wearing an equally innovative and artistic swimsuit, Iris Tió poured all her sensitivity into the water of the Saint-Denis pool at a European Championship where she has already stood on the podium four times. With the eighth level of difficulty among the finalists, Spain continued with its “against the current” strategy in this European Championship: lowering the complexity level of figures and hybrids to make a difference with the artistic. And in the technical solo, which seemed more like a free routine due to the figures and expressiveness of the 23-year-old from Barcelona, she nailed it.
Iris debuted her solo in May at the Pontevedra World Cup. Over these months, she has been refining details and gaining height and control. Tió glided over the surface with smooth figures, lots of expressiveness, singing the chords of ‘Mio Cristo’ with her hands, with that ease of feeling the notes like the beats of her heart coming from a family of musicians. Then, in the two minutes the performance lasted, she added that complexity of breath holds and diverse figures, like a final split as a flourish. Andrea Fuentes was moved by Tió’s feeling and execution.
The judges gave her the highest artistic score (114.2000) and rewarded the technical elements, performed perfectly (149.4250). Tió has gained strength, with even crossfit training, to endure such a demanding program and increase power in the technical elements. In total, it was enough to surpass the German Klara Beyer by five points (263.6250), who overtook her with a choreography designed by Ona Carbonell in the free final and pushed her to bronze (258.0400).
Read more Jaume Giró definitively breaks with Junts and resigns as a member
All eyes were on the Belarusian Vasilina Kandoshka, who took gold in the free routine. And with music by Marilyn Manson, she shone with a routine totally different from Iris’s, with more difficulty and a breath hold in the second highly demanding hybrid, and the judges rewarded it, but she fell short by just two tenths of the Spanish level, who raised her fists radiant. The Belarusian scored 153.4317 in the elements and the difference was on the artistic side, behind Iris with 109.9500 for a total of 263.3817.
A perfect strategy
With a routine of lower difficulty, Iris Tió was able to shine in the technical elements
The gold could no longer escape. Two swimmers of a certain level remained ahead, the Dutch and the Greek Alexandri, but Iris had just become world champion for the first time in history in Singapore and has been part of the solo elite for four years. They did not catch her, nor come close.
Spain, which on Monday sadly saw how Russia had snatched the gold in the free team by copying a figure, barely redeemed itself the next morning with its icon. Iris Tió reaches unimaginable heights. The Barcelonan is the first Spaniard to be crowned European and world champion. And she is only 23 years old. Great records await her.
Read more Spain accuses Russia of copying it: «Is gold worth that much? Stealing an idea? It is not dignified»
