Fernando Díaz del Río Soto (born 15 February 2003) is a Spanish artistic swimmer. He was the first man to win a silver medal in a solo male artistic swimming event at a

LEN European Aquatics Championships The European Aquatics Championships is the continental Aquatics championship for Europe, which is organised by LEN—the governing body for aquatics in Europe. The Championships are currently held every two years (in even years); and since 2022, t ...

, winning the first silver medal in the solo technical routine, and afterwards the first silver medal in the solo free routine, at the

2022 European Aquatics Championships The 2022 European Aquatics Championships took place in Rome, Italy, from 11 to 21 August 2022. The event exactly coincided with, but was not officially part of, the 2022 European Championships. This diverged from the joined format of the 2018 e ...

. He is an eight-time medalist at FINA Artistic Swimming World Series, including four gold medals, one silver medal, and three bronze medals spanning solo and mixed duet routines.

Background

Díaz del Río formerly trained with the La Palma club and currently trains at Sant Cugat High Performance Center in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

.Marta, Laura (14 August 2022)
"Fernando Díaz, plata en el solo libre"
(in Spanish). ''

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

''. Retrieved 10 September 2022.

Career

2019–2021

At the leg of the 2019 FINA Artistic Swimming World Series held at the

Palace of Water Sports The Palace of Water Sports (; tt-Cyrl, Су спорт төрләре сара) is an indoor aquatics centre in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia which was built for the 2013 Summer Universiade. Located on the banks of the Kazanka River, the competitions i ...

in mid-April in

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...

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, Díaz del Río won a bronze medal in the mixed duet technical routine with a score of 74.3859 points on 19 April."FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2019 – Leg 3: Results Mixed Duet Technical"
FINA. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2022. One day later, he won a bronze medal in the mixed duet free routine with a score of 77.3667 points."FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2019 – Leg 3: Results Mixed Duet Free"
FINA. 20 April 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2022. In 2021, as part of the leg of the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series held in a virtual format and hosted by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in February, he scored 77.4407 points in the mixed duet technical routine, which ranked second overall, however he did not win a medal as only the highest scoring duo from each country was eligible for a medal, and he and his partner ranked as the second-highest scoring duo from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

."FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2021 – Leg 1: Results Mixed Duet Technical"
FINA. February 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2022. Approximately three months later, at the leg of the World Series held in a virtual format and hosted by

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, he and his partner achieved a score of 80.7076 points in the mixed duet technical routine, however were again ineligible for a medal as they were outscored by another team from Spain."FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2021 – Leg 5: Results Mixed Duet Technical"
FINA. May 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2022.

2022

2022 Artistic Swimming World Series

For the first leg of the 2022 FINA Artistic Swimming World Series, conducted in virtual format by the United States and Canada in March, Díaz del Río performed his choreography in the solo technical routine to music by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

musical artist

Labrinth Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record labe ...

, earning 76.4571 points and winning the silver medal.Hennigan, Caoimhe (19 March 2022)
"Technical events feature during day one of the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2022 opener"
FINA. Retrieved 10 September 2022. The following month, he scored 76.2795 points in the solo technical routine at the leg of the World Series conducted at Piscine Georges Vallerey in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

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, winning the gold medal 15.4021 points ahead of silver medalist

Javier Ruisanchez Javier Enrique Ruisanchez Torres Zayas (born 8 February 1997) is a Puerto Rican artistic swimmer and former pool swimmer. He is a nine-time medalist at the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series, winning eight medals at the 2022 FINA Artistic S ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

."FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2022 – Leg 2: Results Men Solo Technical"
FINA. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022. In May, as part of the World Series leg conducted in virtual format by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, he won a gold medal in the solo technical routine with choreography to music by American band

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

and a final score of 74.2865 points, which was less than five points ahead of silver medalist Eduard Kim of

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

.Croes, Maureen (7 May 2022)
"FINA Artistic Swimming World Series for first time hosted virtualy by Australia"
FINA. Retrieved 10 September 2022. The following day, he won the bronze medal in the mixed duet free routine with a score of 81.7333 points, finishing just 1.5334 points behind gold medalists Tomoka Sato and Yotaro Sato of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

."FINA Artistic Swimming World Series – Leg 4: Results Mixed Duet Free"
FINA. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022. Performing in-person later the same month at olympic Athletic Center of Athens in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

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, for the final leg of the 2022 World Series, Díaz del Río won the gold medal in the male solo technical routine with a personal best score of 77.9618 points from the World Series circuit."FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2022 – Super Final Leg 1: Results Men Solo Technical"
FINA. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022. He earned his final medal of the circuit the following day, winning his first gold medal in the solo free routine with a score of 80.3333 points and a lead of over three points ahead of silver medalist Nicolò Ogliari of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

."FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2022 – Super Final Leg 1: Results Men Solo Free"
FINA. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.

2022 European Aquatics Championships

As part of the artistic swimming program at the

, contested starting 11 August at

Foro Italico Foro Italico is a sports complex in Rome, Italy, on the slopes of Monte Mario. It was built between 1928 and 1938 as the Foro Mussolini (literally Mussolini's Forum) under the design of Enrico Del Debbio and, later, Luigi Moretti. Inspired by t ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy, solo male events were included in competition for the first time at a

.Marta, Laura (12 August 2022)
"Fernando Díaz, una plata que abre el camino"
(in Spanish). ''

''. Retrieved 10 September 2022.Martínez, Alberto (12 August 2022)
"Una plata para la historia"
(in Spanish). ''

Diario AS ''Diario AS'' () is a Spanish daily sports newspaper that concentrates particularly on football. Profile ''Diario AS'' is part of PRISA which also owns '' El País'' and ''Cinco Días''. The paper particularly covers news of the Community of M ...

''. Retrieved 10 September 2022.Pérez, Marta (12 August 2022)
"Fernando Díaz del Río, pionero de plata en el estreno del solo masculino"
(in Spanish). ''

Mundo Deportivo ''Mundo Deportivo'' (; meaning ''Sports World'' in English) is a Spanish nationwide daily sports newspaper published in Barcelona. History and profile ''Mundo Deportivo'' was first published on 1 February 1906, as a weekly newspaper, and since 1 ...

''. Retrieved 10 September 2022."El nadador Fernando Díaz del Río se cuelga la plata en una final histórica"
(in Spanish). ''

Heraldo de Aragón ''Heraldo de Aragón'' is a Spanish language regional daily newspaper published in Saragossa, Spain. The paper has been in circulation since 1895. History and profile ''Heraldo de Aragón'' was first published on 20 September 1895. The owner is ...

''. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022. Performing his choreography in the first solo event, the solo technical routine on 12 August, to music by American band Aerosmith, he achieved a score of 79.4952 points to win the silver medal, 6.2082 points behind gold medalist

Giorgio Minisini Giorgio Minisini (born 9 March 1996) is an Italian synchronised swimmer. He won two bronze medals in the inaugural mixed duet competition at the 2015 World Championships. He was world champion at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in the mix ...

of Italy and 20.6117 points ahead of bronze medalist Ivan Martinović of

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

LEN Len or LEN may refer to: People and fictional characters * Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lén, a character from Irish mythology * Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player * Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ *Le ...

(12 August 2022)
"European Aquatics Championships Roma 2022: Results Men's Solo Technical Final"
''Microplus''. Retrieved 10 September 2022. With his win, he became the first silver medalist in a solo male artistic swimming event, and first silver medalist in the men's solo technical routine, at a LEN European Aquatics Championships. On 14 August, he became the first silver medalist in the men's solo free routine at a LEN European Aquatics Championships, winning the silver medal in the event with choreography to music by America musical artist

Danny Elfman Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered internation ...

and a final score of 83.3333 points, which was 5.3333 points ahead of bronze medalist Quentin Rakotomalala of France and 5.1334 points behind gold medalist Giorgio Minisini of Italy.

(14 August 2022)
"European Aquatics Championships Roma 2022: Results Men's Solo Free Final"
''Microplus''. Retrieved 10 September 2022.Martínez, Alberto (14 August 2022)
"Doble récord español y otra medalla de plata en Roma"
(in Spanish). ''

''. Retrieved 10 September 2022."El español Fernando Díaz del Río logra otra plata en el natación artística del Europeo"
(in Spanish). ''elfinancierocr.com''. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
(in Spanish). ''

''. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022."Ha nacido una estrella"
(in Spanish). ''La Tribuna de Ciudad Real''. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.

2023

2023 Artistic Swimming World Cup

For the first stop of the first Artistic Swimming World Cup organized by

World Aquatics FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

, contested in March in Markham, Canada, Díaz del Río won the silver medal in the solo free routine on the second day of competition with a score of 168.4000 points, finishing behind Giorgio Minisini and ahead of Eduard Kim."World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup – Markham 2023: Results Men Solo Free"
''

''. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023."WORLD CUP MARKHAM / Fernando Díaz del Rio y Lilou Luis, dos platas en Solo Libre"
(in Spanish). ''

Royal Spanish Swimming Federation The Royal Spanish Swimming Federation ( es, Real Federación Española de Natación - RFEN) founded in 1920, is the aquatics national federation for Spain. It oversees competition in the 5 aquatics disciplines (swimming, diving, open water swimmi ...

''. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023. Later in the day, he and his partner

Emma García Emma García García (born 13 January 1999) is a Spanish synchronised swimmer. She won a bronze medal in the free routine combination competition at the 2018 European Aquatics Championships The 2018 European Aquatics Championships took ...

achieved a score of 188.7458 points in the mixed duet technical routine, however they were ineligible for a medal as they were not the highest-ranking duo in the event from Spain."World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup – Markham 2023: Results Mixed Duet Technical"
''

''. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023. The third and final day, he and Mireia Hernandez Luna ranked third in the mixed duet free routine with a 194.5083, however the bronze medal went to the duo from

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

as they were not the highest-scoring Spaniards."World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup – Markham 2023: Results Mixed Duet Free"
''

''. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023. For his final event, the mixed team acrobatic, he contributed to a final mark of 189.6875 points, which ranked sixth overall."World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup – Markham 2023: Results Acrobatic"
''

''. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.

International championships

World series and world cup circuits

The following medals Díaz del Río has won at Artistic Swimming World Series (through 2022) and Artistic Swimming World Cup (2023) circuits."Fernando Diaz Del Rio Soto: Medals"
FINA. Retrieved 10 September 2022.

References

External links

*{{Sports links 2003 births Living people Spanish synchronized swimmers Male synchronized swimmers European Aquatics Championships medalists in synchronised swimming World Aquatics Championships medalists in synchronised swimming