Malta’s Artistic Swimming National Team delivered their best-ever results on the international stage at the third leg of the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup, held in Markham, Canada. The team, consisting of Ana Culic, Thea Grima Buttigieg, and Zea Montfort, competed under the guidance of national coach Michelle Hubner and assistant coach Hannah Preca Trapani.
The three-athlete delegation built upon their earlier performances at Stage 1 in Paris with a string of personal and national bests in Canada, cementing their place among the world’s most promising up-and-coming artistic swimmers.
In the Solo Technical event, held on the opening day of competition, both Ana Culic and Zea Montfort delivered clean routines without base mark deductions. Zea placed 15th with 194.05 points, while Ana followed closely in 18th position with 186.53 points.
The following day, it was the turn of Thea Grima Buttigieg and Zea Montfort in the Solo Free event. Zea once again impressed, placing 11th with 168.70 points and a flawless execution. Thea placed 15th, scoring 134.59 points despite incurring a single base mark.
Later that afternoon, Ana Culic and Thea Grima Buttigieg teamed up in the Duet Technical event, achieving 206.28 points – Malta’s highest-ever score in this category. The performance was once again free from any base mark penalties, underlining the team’s improved consistency and technical execution.
The final day of competition saw Ana and Thea return for the Duet Free event, earning 176.44 points in another clean swim, rounding off an exceptionally successful World Cup stage for the Maltese trio.
Following the results from Stage 1 in Paris and Stage 3 in Markham – despite having missed the second stage, Malta’s artistic swimmers achieved remarkable overall World Cup rankings. Ana Culic and Thea Grima Buttigieg are currently ranked fifth globally in the Duet events, while Zea Montfort secured 11th place in the Solo standings.
The Aquatic Sports Association of Malta praised the athletes’ accomplishments, noting that the performances not only mark a historic achievement for Malta in the sport, but also serve as strong preparation ahead of the Games of the Small States of Europe, set to take place later this month in Andorra.
The team’s participation in the World Cup was made possible through the support of SportMalta and the Maltese Olympic Committee, reflecting the ongoing investment in Maltese aquatic sports on the international stage.
