Tió and Lluís give Spain its second gold medal in Singapore.

▲ Lilou Lluís and now two-time champion Iris Tió (right) return to Spain at the top of the artistic swimming elite. Photo: AFP

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 25, 2025, p. a11

Mexicans Marla Fernanda Arellano and Itzamary González finished 11th in the women's duet free routine final in artistic swimming, scoring 228.6608 points at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

Following the retirement of the most experienced ondines, such as Nuria Diosdado and Jessica Sobrino, coach Adriana Loftus faces a challenge in keeping the tricolor team at the elite level of the specialty by creating new duets and routines.

The tricolor team felt the judges' assessment was inadequate and expressed their dissatisfaction on social media.

“We swam the freestyle duet final and earned two base marks . The second was very clear: we disconnected from a mandatory connection, and we fully accept our mistake and will work on it. However, the first occurred in our third hybrid. During feedback, the judges told our coaches that we didn't show our waist in our T9. That really surprised us, so we immediately reviewed the video and were disappointed to see that we did meet the required height, but it wasn't counted,” she commented.

The Spanish duo of Iris Tió and Lilou Lluís won the gold medal with 282.6087 points, followed by Italy (278.7137) and the neutral team of Russians Mayya Doroshko and Tatiana Gayday (277.1117). China, a powerhouse in the sport, was left without a medal.

The ondina Tió won her second gold at this championship and confirmed herself as the new queen of Spanish artistic swimming, which is experiencing a new era of splendor. Never before had a pair from her country won a world gold in this routine, but her swimmers remain determined to change history.

For now, Tió has two gold medals that had eluded him until reaching Singapore, and with Andrea Fuentes at the helm, it is confirmed that Spain is returning to the elite of the discipline in style.

Since winning the bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, China, thanks to current national team coach Fuentes pairing with Ona Carbonell, Spain has not returned to a world podium in this routine. This time, with two-time champion Tió (22 years old) and a very young Lluís (18 years old), the country is on the rise.

With one day to go until the artistic swimming competition closes in Singapore, the Iberian country has accumulated seven medals (two gold, two silver, three bronze).

Only the two Argentinians were oblivious to Tió's contribution. The star of the show was Dennis González, world runner-up in the previous days in the technical solo and duet, in this case alongside Mireia Hernández. Today, Tió and González have the opportunity to top it all off with their participation in the free mixed duet.

Another gold medal in water polo

Spain also claimed gold in men's water polo, this time after defeating Hungary 15-13 in the final. This is the eleventh world medal for the Spanish men's team. Prior to this match, the other gold medals in this discipline had been won in 1998, 2001, and 2022.

In the two most recent editions of the World Cup, the Spanish had won bronze (2023, 2024). Hungary took silver, and the bronze in Singapore 2025 went to Greece, which defeated Serbia 16-7.

In the high diving event, Mexicans Jonathan Paredes and Antonio Corzo are in sixth and 17th place, respectively, after two rounds of six.

In the women's event, Alejandra Aguilar placed 15th in the 20-meter event.

With information from AFP and Europa Press

Karla Torrijos

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 25, 2025, p. a11

Students from the National School of Sports Coaches (ENED) reported that their graduation process has been halted due to administrative obstacles from the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sports (CONADE), and the General Directorate of Normal Education and Teacher Training (DGENAM).

To graduate, they ask us for a certificate that endorses our studies at the ENED, but they have not been able to give it to us because they have not yet been signed by the corresponding authorities , said a student, who explained that "after the change of government (last October), a new person was appointed to be responsible for authorizing said documents, but after nine months of his arrival, his position is still not officially recognized, so his signature is not valid.

“When we seek answers from the authorities, they just pass the buck and no one solves the problem. The school says the National Council of Education (CONADE) is to blame, the latter says it's the Ministry of Education (SEP), and the latter blames the Directorate of Education (DGENAM), and they just keep giving us the runaround. It's not possible that CONADE demands that we become professional, but at the same time puts obstacles in our way.”

He also indicated that this situation has not only delayed the degree process, but has also prevented some colleagues from taking advantage of employment opportunities, since without a document certifying our studies, it is difficult to get hired .

In abandonment

On the other hand, he mentioned that the ENED is in a state of neglect by CONADE, the authority to which it reports.

He reported that although the head of the department, Rommel Pacheco, has approached the institution recently, attending the graduation ceremony of the 2021-2025 class of the bachelor's degree in sports training a few days ago, which had not happened under other administrations, no significant changes have been seen in the school during his management .

The ENED is extremely important because it's where coaches come from, and there's much room for improvement. In these months that we've been in charge, we've been on the right path, and that's the idea: to leave something so solid that over the years, regardless of who's here, the school will have the respect it deserves , Pacheco stated during his visit on July 15.

The student explained that CONADE recently donated sports equipment to us. It seems they remodeled some of their facilities and gave us the equipment they removed, but other than that, there hasn't been any other action that benefits the school. They give us swimming lessons, but we don't have a pool; we have to go to the one at the Sports City, and to get in, we have to go through a series of procedures. The gym isn't in optimal condition either, and that interferes with our learning .

Another student highlighted the lack of support for future coaches, especially from a government that has announced it will prioritize sports .

They seek good results in international competitions and ignore the people who guide the athletes. They want to reduce obesity and diabetes rates in the Mexican population and fail to support those who can help achieve that goal. Perhaps not all of us will perform at a high level, but we can contribute to improving the country's public health. Without support from the authorities, it will be difficult to do so .

▲ In the image, quarterback Jordan Love wears the throwback uniform the Cheeseheads will wear. Photo @Packers

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 25, 2025, p. a11

The Green Bay Packers' operating profit increased 39.3 percent in 2025, thanks in large part to a record $432.6 million in national revenue from the NFL. The league's only publicly owned franchise revealed its revenue on the same day it opened training camp for the current season. Each of the league's 32 teams received that amount, which comes primarily from television contracts.