Artistic Swimming at the Olympics

Athletes have been competing in artistic swimming at the Olympics since the Los Angeles Games in 1984.

Artistic swimming used to be known as synchronised swimming, or synchro, before changing name in 2017.

While men have competed at both World and European level, artistic swimming remains one of just two sports on the Olympic programme contested only by women.

The first three stagings of the artistic swimming at the Olympics included women’s solo and women’s duet competitions.

The 1996 Games saw a switch in the Olympic programme with solo and duet replaced by one women’s team competition.

In 2000, the Duet was restored and the Olympic artistic swimming programme took the form that it has today with technical and free routines in both events.

English artistic swimmers at the Olympics

Caroline Holmyard and Carolyn Wilson were the first Team GB artistic swimmers, competing at the 1984 Olympics. Holmyard was sixth in the Solo while the pair finished fourth in the Duet.

Nicola Shearn and Lian Goodwin were seventh in the Duet at Seoul 1988 while Shearn was sixth in the Solo.

Four years later in Barcelona, Kerry Shacklock and Laila Vakil were sixth in the Duet while Shacklock was seventh in the Solo.

It was another 16 years before the next English artistic swimmers competing at Olympic level. Jenna Randall and Olivia Federici (nee Allison) finished 14th in the Duet at Beijing 2008.

The same pair became the first Team GB artistic swimmers to compete at multiple Olympics when they finished ninth in Duet at London 2012.

Team GB also took part in the Team event for the first time in 2012, placing sixth in the eight-team event.

In 2016, Federici became the only British triple Olympian for artistic swimming when she finished 17th with Katie Clark in the Duet competition in Rio.

Team GB Artistic Swimming Results

• Los Angeles 1984 – Caroline Holmyard – Sixth in Solo
• Los Angeles 1984 – Caroline Holmyard & Carolyn Wilson – Fourth in Duet
• Seoul 1988 – Nicola Shearn – Sixth in Solo
• Seoul 1988 – Nicola Shearn & Lian Goodwin – Seventh in Duet
• Barcelona 1992 – Kerry Shacklock – Seventh in Solo
• Barcelona 1992 – Kerry Shacklock & Laila Vakil – Sixth in Duet
• Beijing 2008 – Jenna Randall & Olivia Allison – 14th in Duet
• London 2012 – Jenna Randall & Olivia Allison – Ninth in Duet
• London 2012 – Katie Clark, Katie Dawkins, Olivia Allison, Jennifer Knobbs, Victoria Lucass, Asha Randall, Jenna Randall, Katie Skelton & Yvette Baker – 6th in Team
• Rio 2016 – Olivia Federici & Katie Clark – 17th in Duet