European Swimming Championships: Italy Already Making Its Mark—Gold in Diving and Silver to the Tunes of Queen
Italy got off to a strong start at the 2026 European Swimming Championships in Paris: a memorable opening day for the Azzurri, marked by a gold medal in the Mixed Team Diving Event with Chiara Pellacani, Matteo Santoro, Sarah Jodoin Di Maria, and Raffaele Pelligra, and a silver in artistic swimming by Filippo Pelati. These two medals underscore the strength and vitality of the Italian team, which continues to prove itself extremely competitive.
The quartet of Pellacani, Santoro, Di Maria, and debutant Pelligra won the team event with a total score of 410.60, finishing ahead of the Russian team—competing under a neutral flag—and Ukraine. The Azzurri’s comeback proved decisive after a start in which the Russian team had initially taken the lead. The quality of the dives from the 3-meter board made the difference, as did the decisive series from the platform. Di Maria’s vertical dive and Pelligra’s triple-and-a-half reverse dive shifted the momentum before the final, decisive synchronized dive.
“Starting off like this is fantastic,” commented the diving team’s technical director, Oscar Bertone, enthusiastically. “It’s very important for the team and the entire organization. They’re all very young athletes and need to gain experience—especially this kind of experience. Bringing home the gold medal certainly helps the whole team as they continue the European Championships and, above all, get off on the right foot.”
The second medal of the day came from artistic swimming: Filippo Pelati won silver in the technical solo, scoring 241.7008 points. Ahead of him was only Britain’s Ranjuo Tomblin, while the bronze went to Russian athlete Zakhar Trofimov. Pelati, 19, performed a routine set to the tune of Queen’s “Radio Ga Ga,” winning over the judges and confirming his progress since his world debut in 2025. This is already the seventh European medal of his career: the athlete himself hopes that gold is the next step.
