2026 European Swimming Championships: Chiara Pellacani and Elisa Pizzini Win Gold in Synchronized Diving
Chiara Pellacani capped off the European Championships in Paris in triumph and made history for Italian diving. On the final day of the continental championships, the 23-year-old from Rome won her fifth gold medal in as many events, taking first place in the 3-meter synchronized springboard event alongside Elisa Pizzini. It was a clear-cut victory that was never in doubt, allowing the Italian star to surpass Tania Cagnotto’s record and become the first Italian to win five titles in a single edition of the European Championships.
The Italian duo delivered a performance of the highest caliber, built on solid foundations right from the compulsory dives and capped off by a virtually flawless second half of the competition. Pellacani and Pizzini executed precise and synchronized rotations, maintaining an average score above 70 points in the free dives and making no mistakes on the most complex elements, from the twist to the triple-and-a-half.
Their rivals, however, were unable to keep pace with the Italians. Great Britain saw any chance of a medal slip away after a double zero that led to the British pair’s withdrawal, while Germany paid the price for some errors in the decisive stages of the competition. Ukraine benefits from this, winning the silver medal with the pair of Bochek and Karnafel thanks to 278.40 points. The bronze, meanwhile, goes to the Germans Hentschel and Muller with 274.59.
Leading the pack, however, is Italy, which finishes with an extraordinary score of 308.07—a result of immense significance even in the context of the World Championships and the Olympics. Pellacani and Pizzini thus pick up the torch passed down by the legendary duo of Tania Cagnotto and Francesca Dallapè, upholding Italy’s tradition in synchronized diving.
With this victory, Italy’s overall medal tally at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris rises to 19: seven gold, four silver, and eight bronze. A full seven podium finishes came from the diving events, led by the extraordinary Pellacani, the true star of the competition with five continental titles won in five events.
