Artistic swimming is not regarded as a distinct sport but rather as a branch of swimming, or aquatics, and is overseen by the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), which was established in London in July 1908. However, just seven years earlier in 2017, the discipline was known as "synchronized swimming," after which it got changed. Furthermore, along with rhythmic gymnastics and softball, it was also a women-only sport until 2022, when World Aquatics allowed men too.
Later, synchronized swimming gained popularity because of the performances of American cinema star Esther Williams in multiple films featuring water ballet. Also, the competitive element emerged at the same time as Curtis's student, Frank Havlicek, drafted the rules.
The United States has won a total of nine medals in artistic swimming, including five golds. Prior to Russia's recent dominance, which included winning every event from 2000 to 2020, the sport's top three nations were historically the United States, Canada, and Japan, who all took home Olympic medals from 1984 to 1996. Let us take a look at the medals won by Americans in Artistic Swimming in the past.
Read More : List of olympic medalists of usa team in athletics
The Year-by-Year List of Olympic Medalists of Team USA in Artistic Swimming
| Year | Event | Name | Medal |
| 1984 Summer Olympics | Solo, Women | Tracie Ruiz-Conforto | Gold |
| Duet, Women | Tracie Ruiz, Candy Costie | Gold | |
| 1988 Summer Olympics | Solo, Women | Tracie Ruiz-Conforto | Silver |
| Duet, Women | Sarah Josephson, Karen Josephson | Silver | |
| 1992 Summer Olympics | Solo, Women | Kristen Babb-Sprague | Gold |
| Duet, Women | Karen Josephson, Sarah Josephson | Gold | |
| 1996 Summer Olympics | Team, Women | Suzannah Bianco, Tammy Cleland, Becky Dyroen-Lancer, Emily LeSueur, Heather Pease, Jill Savery, Nathalie Schneyde, Heather Simmons-Carrasco, Jill Sudduth, Margot Thien | Gold |
| 2004 Summer Olympics | Duet, Women | Alison Bartosik, Anna Kozlova | Bronze |
| Team, Women | Alison Bartosik, Tammy Crow, Erin Dobratz, Becky Jasontek, Anna Kozlova, Sara Lowe, Lauren McFall, Stephanie Nesbitt, Kendra Zanotto | Bronze |
Read More : List of Olympic Medalists of USA Team in Beach Volleyball
FAQ's On Team USA in Artistic Swimming
A. Artistic swimming is a sport combining music and water acrobatics.
A. No, swimmers have to do their exercises without touching the ground.
A. To hold their hair in place, artistic swimmers use a lot of hair clips, a tightly pulled ponytail, and a handful of gelatin.
A. Yes, in 2022, World Aquatics allowed men to participate in the artistic swimming Olympic events.
A. Prior to July 2017, artistic swimming was known as synchronized swimming.
A. Pierre de Coubertin, a French historian and educator, is the father of the modern Olympics and is responsible for establishing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894 and the Olympic Games in 1896.
