Spain’s artistic swimming team performing the ‘Berghain’ routine in Paris; Targets gold at 2026 European Aquatics Championships
CrossFit, ballet and artistic swimming: The secrets behind the success of ‘Berghain’, Spain’s acrobatic routine
CrossFit, ballet and artistic swimming: The secrets behind the success of ‘Berghain’, Spain’s acrobatic routine
Spain are searching for gold at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships with an innovative acrobatic team inspired by pop superstar Rosalía.
Artistic swimming is an art-turned-sport that Spain wants to elevate to the next level.
They have won five Olympic medals, more than any European nation, and are already double world and continental champions. Innovation is the key, as shown in this season’s routine, ‘Berghain’, based on the hit single by Spanish superstar Rosalía , in collaboration with Björk and Yves Tumor .
If the song is, according to Spain’s head coach Andrea Fuentes , a “work of art” and a “revelation” (as per Teledeporte ), her team want to emulate the success of the Catalan singer and one of the most iconic tracks from her latest album, ‘LUX’.
Fuentes could not stop listening to its daringly dramatic composition upon discovering the tune, instantly picturing the possibilities for a routine that completely rewrote her plans for the season.
Initially, Spain were not going to put forward a new acrobatic team. But art – in this case that of Rosalía – has a renewing power and the ability to change everything.
The Spanish team want to use their aquatic artistry to challenge the conventional view of artistic swimming, both at home and around the world. The ‘Berghain’ routine made its competitive debut at the Pontevedra World Cup event on home soil in May.
There were still details to polish ahead of the planned peak at this month’s European Aquatic Championships (31 July-16 August) in Paris, only the second competitive performance of the routine. It won Spain silver in Pontevedra – what awaits in France?
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The four-time Olympic medallist is back leading the Spanish team after her success in the US: “I don’t want to remain indifferent. I want to create something no one has ever seen before,” she said.
Acrobatics and artistic gymnastics techniques for the ‘jumper’
According to World Aquatics, artistic swimming acrobatic teams “challenge judges to identify and assess the difficulty, execution and artistic impression of complex structures, aerial movements and a wide variety of acrobatic combinations”.
Unlike the technical routine or free routine team events, acrobatic routines have a unique pull to leave the audience speechless through spectacular stunts in the water.
To go higher and achieve more, the team need a solid base and a strong representative to fly through the air. Often called ‘flyer’ or ‘jumper’, they are in charge of the aerial acrobatics of the routine.
For ‘Berghain’, that is 19-year-old Meritxell “Txell” Ferré , though Sara Saldaña and Dennis González have also previously stepped up as the team’s designated flyer.
The Spanish team work directly with Víctor Cano , a two-time artistic gymnastics Olympian and now an acrobatic expert.
“Víctor has turned everything around,” Fuentes tells Olympics.com in Spanish. “It’s incredible; when you work with specialists, everything goes better.”
CrossFit for the base of the structures
In order for Ferré to reach her potential and execute the routine, the other swimmers must form a solid base under the water. A structure without a single weakness ensures the most spectacular flight possible for the Manresa native.
“We work with two CrossFit guys, Pau and Iker, who help us become stronger,” says Fuentes of the fundamentals of training for ‘Berghain’.
“We do CrossFit three mornings a week, and then Víctor does acrobatic training with Txell. It means that those who push, push hard, and when Ferré flies, she really flies.”
It was Fuentes herself who discovered the peculiar yet impactful crossover between CrossFit and artistic swimming. She hopes it will prove to be the breakthrough for Spain to reach the next level in the pool.
“Before Andrea, we were doing gym workouts and weight training,” Iris Tió , Spain’s artistic swimming star told Olympics.com in Spanish. Fuentes returned to the national setup as head coach following Paris 2024 . “The physios also help us improve our balance. Everything is strategically planned.
“Now we are working with Pau and Iker from CrossFit, and they are really helping us. We need to give the jumper a good push while also sticking to the choreography.
“The more leg kicks we have out of the water, the better our score is, and as we’re not touching the bottom of the pool, we need strength. That is where CrossFit comes in.”
The Spanish national team debuted their ‘Berghain’ routine at the Pontevedra World Cup stop on home soil in May.
Ballet for the control of the body
The final piece of the Spanish puzzle is akin to a key element of Rosalía’s latest album and her surprise performances on tour: ballet.
“It combines the strength component of CrossFit with the extension and flexibility of ballet,” explains Tió.
“It also helps to have control of your body and stretch your legs well. I had never done ballet before and I’m so bad, I’m hopeless at it!” she says through laughter. “You take me out of the water and I can’t do much else! But we have improved a lot thanks to it.”
Even if the queen of the pool does not feel she thrives as much in these realms, there is no denying the benefit of combining other sports to become a better-rounded artistic swimmer.
They are the key proponents to build a title-challenging team worthy of gold medals on the road to LA28 . Fuentes and her swimmers have designed an unusual but effective plan to develop a quicker, more agile and even more impressive squad.
Every fine details counts in the pursuit of artistic perfection in Paris and beyond.
Spain’s Dennis Gonzalez: How I plan to make artistic swimming history
The 2023 World champion aims to become the first male artistic swimmer to compete at the Olympics, and he’s targeting LA 28: ‘I love challenges — they keep me going. And this one is massive,’ he said in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com.”
When and how to watch the acrobatic team at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships
The artistic swimming competition at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships takes place in Paris from 31 July to 5 August. The acrobatic team final concludes on the final day of the competition on 5 August.
The European Aquatics Championships will be streamed live on European Aquatics TV .
Picture by Simone Castrovillari (World Aquatics
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Picture by Simone Castrovillari and Xan Xiadas (World Aquatics
31 July - 16 August
Swimming | European Championships | Paris | France