How Ranjuo is making a splash in sport that was once just for women

Ranjuo Tomblin, a 17-year-old from Horsham, is Team GB's first ever senior male artistic swimmer, smashing stereotypes in a sport which combines water acrobatics with music and dance.

The Collyers student has just won bronze at Krakow 2023 European Games for the mixed duet, along with his partner Beatrice; making history as the first ever mixed duet team to represent Team GB.

Afterwards he said he hoped his achievement in the mixed duet technical would show the sport is ‘for everyone’.

The British pair scored 203.4916 points with their routine to finish behind winners Italy and runners-up Spain.

"I just honestly can't believe it," Tomblin told BBC Sport. "I'm still shaking a bit but I hope that by winning this medal I can encourage other boys into the sport and show it's for everyone."

Tomblin is no stranger to winning medals; in 2022, he won silver in the inaugural Male Free Solo event at the LEN European Junior Championships in Alicante.

Tomblin and Crass, 19, won European Junior Championships bronze together at the same event.

As well as studying A-Levels at Collyers, Ranjuo travels to Bristol every week to train with duet partner Beatrice.

Tomblin receives no funding to pursue his dream of representing Team GB at the next Olympics, with financing falling to his family.

Yet Tomblin remains driven and focused to excel in the sport he loves, whilst at the same time striving to erase stigma and attract more males to compete.

Tomblin's talent was noticed by Horsham-based Atlantis Flamingos, the only artistic swimming club in West Sussex.

Men will be allowed to compete in artistic swimming for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games at Paris 2024, but the mixed duet event has not yet been put on the programme. Tomblin is in the Collyer senior boys’ relay team, all of whom are in the Atlantis SC squad.