The Cayman Islands artistic swimming delegation returned home this week following a series of strong performances at the 2026 PanAm Aquatics Artistic Swimming Championships in Santiago, Chile.
Competing across multiple age divisions from 8-11 April, the five-athlete team demonstrated remarkable growth and technical skill on the international stage.
Nicole Kazakova delivered a standout performance in the Youth Solo event, where she successfully executed her ‘Fire Dance’ routine with the highest declared difficulty of any Cayman routine to date.
Kazakova achieved her primary goal of a clean swim without penalties, earning a routine score of 143.0838 and finishing 5th overall with a total championship score of 271.4074 after her impressive figures score of 71.2909 was factored in.
“I feel really happy and relieved after this swim. It was high in difficulty, so I’m proud of how I performed. Getting no penalties and a new personal best means a lot, especially since I wasn’t expecting to place this well. This is the best I’ve ever done in such a high-level competition,” said Kazakova.
In the 12-and-under division, Nina Bell and Emilia Cecere tackled their highest-level competition yet with their ‘Snake’ duet routine earning an overall finish of fifth place with 182.9976 points. Additionally, Bell secured a ninth-place finish in the figures portion of the event.
In the senior category, Amber Barnes, recently returning from competitive retirement, showcased a routine crafted with the expertise of international medalists and coaches to earn a score of 160.2417 in the Technical Program, highlighted by a commanding artistic impression score of 76.3500.
Barnes, who described the experience as “incredible”, said, “As it was my first time at this competition and my first meet back in five years, I went into it really excited but also extremely nervous.
“[A] new stage, new pool and swimming in front of hundreds of people you don’t know is nerve wracking, but knowing I had the support of my coaches, teammates, friends and family back home made it all worth it.”
Barnes added, “Although I didn’t score as high as I wanted to for my routine, I was able to receive feedback from some of the professionals in the sport which was so inspiring! After competing … I’m so excited I came back to artistic swimming, and this competition has helped prepare me for many more to come.”
Also in the senior category was 2024 bronze medallist Sarah Trott who competed in the Senior Free Solo, earning a total score of 133.9600.
“Cayman’s artistic swimmers had a strong showing in Santiago and returned home with renewed determination and bigger goals to chase,” said Cayman Aquatics.
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