Italy opens European Aquatics Championships with mixed team diving gold, silver in artistic swimming
Chiara Pellacani, Matteo Santoro, Sarah Jodoin Di Maria and 17-year-old debutant Raffaele Pelligra claimed the first title of the 2026 European Aquatics Championships in Paris, edging Russian neutral athletes and Ukraine with a total of 410.60 points.
Italy struck gold in the first medal event of the 38th European Aquatics Championships, winning the mixed team diving final at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in Saint‑Denis on 31 July. The quartet of Pellacani, Santoro, Jodoin Di Maria and Pelligra delivered a composed six‑dive sequence that overturned an early Russian lead and finished 24.80 points clear of the silver medallists.
The competition
Each nation fielded two women and two men across trampoline and platform. Pellacani opened from the 3 m springboard with a forward three‑and‑a‑half pike worth 69.75 points. Santoro's reverse three‑and‑a‑half tuck drew 63 points, leaving Italy second behind the Russian neutral athletes at the halfway mark.
The turning point came from the 10 m platform. Jodoin Di Maria executed a handstand dive with a double back somersault and one‑and‑a‑half twist for 72 points. Pelligra then stepped up for his senior European debut, unfazed, and scored 74.25 points on a back three‑and‑a‑half tuck. The pair later combined for a synchronised platform dive that added 65.60 points and made the final margin insurmountable.
Cominciare così è fantastico ed è molto importante per la squadra e tutto l'ambiente. Sono tutti ragazzi molto giovani e hanno bisogno di fare esperienza.
- Forward 3.5 pike from 3 m springboard earns 69.75 pts.
- Reverse 3.5 tuck from 3 m brings 63 pts; Italy trails Russia.
- Synchronised 3 m dive adds 66 pts.
- Handstand double back somersault 1.5 twists from 10 m scores 72 pts.
- Back 3.5 tuck from 10 m nets 74.25 pts, Italy takes the lead.
- Synchronised 10 m dive (65.60 pts) seals gold at 410.60.
The youngest card
Raffaele Pelligra, who turns 18 in December, was a late replacement for the injured Riccardo Giovannini. His platform performance earned a mark of 8 from one judge and proved decisive. Pellacani called him "super bravo". Technical director Bertone said the medal was "not improvised" but stressed the need to stay focused through a long championships.
- Italy
- 410.6 points
- Russia (NAB)
- 385.8 points
- Ukraine
- 368.2 points
- Poland
- 368.05 points
A dab of joy
After the podium ceremony the four athletes celebrated with a synchronised dab, a gesture Santoro described as a "turbo dab" revival. "Tutta colpa mia, ho influenzato tutti," Santoro joked.
Evening silver
Later on the same day Filippo Pelati won silver in the artistic swimming solo technical event behind Britain's Ranjuo Tomblin, adding a second medal to Italy's opening‑night tally.
The European Championships run in Paris until 16 August, covering diving, artistic swimming, open‑water swimming, high diving and pool swimming. Italy’s diving squad, rebuilt with an eye toward Los Angeles 2028, is aiming to surpass the 12 medals (four golds) collected at the 2022 edition.
