Malta’s Zea Montfort has broken into the world’s top five, finishing fifth in the Women’s Solo Free preliminary at the Junior World Championships in Budapest.
According to the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta, Montfort finished fifth out of athletes representing 22 countries, putting Malta ahead of established artistic swimming nations including Italy and Canada.
The official results shared by the association show Montfort recording a score of 231.0213, securing fifth place and a spot in the Solo Free final.
Another Major Result For Malta
Montfort’s performance comes after she already made Maltese artistic swimming history at the championships with a 10th-place finish in the Women’s Solo Technical.
Her latest result takes things another step further, placing Malta among the leading countries heading into the Solo Free final.
The preliminary standings were led by Ekaterina Shtatnova, competing as a neutral athlete, with Spain’s Naia Alvarez Vicente second and China’s Kunyi Zhou third. Japan’s Kaho Miyazaki finished fourth, immediately ahead of Montfort.
Italy’s Ginevra Marchetti followed Malta in sixth.
Eyes Now Turn To Sunday’s Final
Montfort will now turn her attention to the Women’s Solo Free final on Sunday, giving Malta another opportunity to make its mark on the international stage.
She is competing in Budapest with the support of Malta’s artistic swimming national team, including National Team Head Coach Michelle Hubner and Assistant Coach Hannah Preca Trapani.
The result continues a remarkable progression for Montfort. At the 2025 senior World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, she represented Malta in both the Women’s Solo Free and Solo Technical events, according to official World Aquatics entry records.
Now, one year later, she heads into a Junior World final having qualified fifth in the world.
A huge result for Zea and another proud moment for Maltese sport. 🇲🇹
Photo Credit: Aquatic Sports Association of Malta / ArtSwimMalta
