National Team Of Artistic Swimmers Achieve ‘Best Results Ever’ At World Championships
Malta’s national team of artistic swimmers has just achieved the “best results ever” at the Doha World Championships, the Aquatic Sports Association proudly declared.
Ana Culic, Thea Grima Buttigieg, and Emily Ruggier demonstrated remarkable talent and achieved notable milestones for Malta on the International Artistic Swimming scene.
In the Solo Technical event on 2nd February, Culic captivated audiences with a “flawless routine” earning a commendable 19th place out of 28 routines.
Her performance marked a historic achievement for Malta as she became the first Maltese athlete to score about 80 for artistic impression, with a score of 80.95.
Her total score of 189.7283 reflects a significant improvement, moving up four places since the previous world championships in 2023.
Culic’s routine, which had a difficulty score of 25.15, showcased her “unparalleled mastery of the sport, and solidified her status as a true performer in the field”.
Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of Grima Buttigieg and Ruggire delivered a strong performance in the Technical event as part of their debut at a senior world championships. They showcased synchronicity and dedication, wowing judges and spectators alike, despite the short two months they spent training together.
They achieved the highest score to date for Malta in this category with a score of 176.6291.
“Their routine, boasting a difficulty of 24.8500, was executed flawlessly, earning them an impressive artistic impression score of 80.25.”
Culic took to the pool again in the Solo Free event on 4th February, securing another 19th out of 31 routines with a score of 167.4229. Her routine had a difficulty of 27.35 and displayed her versatility.
“The outstanding performances of Malta’s artistic swimmers at the 2024 World Championships underline Malta’s growing presence and improvement on the international scene. This serves as a testament to their dedication, talent, and relentless pursuit of excellence. ASA is proud of these excellent results in this ever-growing sport. Well done to the coaches and athletes,” ASA President Karl Izzo said.
Meanwhile, National Coach Michelle Hubnersaid that Culic had her best performance to date while the duet handled the pressure of such a huge competition brilliantly, considering it’s their first world championships.
In fact, they were among the duets with the fewest synchronisation mistakes, receiving only one base mark.
Well done girls!
Have you watched any of their stunning routines?
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