Pellacani show in Paris: triumphs in the mixed synchro with Santoro and then wins gold in the trampoline…

Unforgettable day for Chiara Pellacani: first sign with Matteo Santoro the title of European champions in mixed synchro from the three meter springboard and then after a couple of hours he wins the gold medal in the one meter springboard, bringing Italy to second place in the overall medal table of the event, also thanks to the silver of Filippo Pelati and Lucrezia Ruggiero in the mixed technical duo.

The feat in mixed synchro

The Azzurri, world gold medalists last year in Singapore, have returned to the top of Europe after five years (12 May 2021 in Budapest). In Paris, Chiara and Matteo dominated the competition from the first dive, scoring a total 305.85 points. The most difficult dive of the series was excellent, the triple and a half forward piked with 69.75 partial points. Silver to the Russians, who compete with the acronym ‘Nab’ (neutral athletes), Ilia Molchanov–Elizaveta Kuzina (286.17), and bronze to the Germans Luis Carlo Avila Sanchez–Lena Corona Hentschel (284.19).

In the European palmares of Chiara and Matteo also the bronze a Rome 2022 and the silver at the event dedicated only to diving Antalya 2025. In 2023 Pellacani and Santoro had won gold at the European Games in Poland.

The statements of the protagonists

The race of mixed synchro from the three meter springboard, one of the youngest to be included in the programs of international events, for Italtuffi it has almost always been a land of conquest. The first medalists, exactly eleven years ago (it was 2 August 2015), were Tania Cagnotto and Maicol Verzotto bronze at the World Championships in Kazan. The two from Bolzano had won the silver medal around their necks the following year at the European Championships.

For the past five years the blue mixed synchro of wonders has been called Chiara Pellacani and Matteo Santoro. They had won the continental gold five years ago in the Hungarian capital, they repeated it today in the French one. In the middle for the two champions originally from Rome, she is 23 years old, a representative of the Fiamme Gialle, he is 19 years old from the Navy, who have been training and studying together in Miami for about a year, the world title in Singapore last year. “It was a dominated race but we were very prepared and together we always give our best”, says Chiara who then adds, “for me he (Matteo) is a bit like my little brother, we grew up together”.

“I really wanted to make up for it after yesterday’s bad day (eliminated from the one meter springboard, ed.) – Matteo specifies -. I was quite nervous, but with Chiara everything is easier. I had a lot of fun, despite the anxiety: in the first two dives my legs were shaking”. The Azzurri immediately started very strong with the two obligatory dives, the ordinary pike and the reverse pike with the latter bordering on perfection. With 96.60 points, the Italians are ahead of everyone with 2.40 on the ‘neutral’ but always competitive Russians even if they have been away from international competitions for over four years, Molchanov-Kuzina.

On the third jump Chiara and Matteo perform the double somersault and a half forward very well with a pike twist with the Russians chasing at 6.90 points. The fourth dive was excellent, the triple and a half forward pike with the Azzurri flying and bringing a leap in quality to the water. Molchanov and Kuzina try to keep the challenge alive but the advantage of the Italian pair becomes greater. The fifth and final dive is the double and a half return pike which delivers the ‘announced’ gold to Chiara and Matteo.

Chiara gold also in the one meter springboard

Not even time to celebrate and Pellacani confirms herself as the ‘Queen of Europe’ even in the one meter springboard. The Italian dominated the final of the European Championships: at the end of the five jumps, all perfect, Chiara achieved an excellent score of 298.90. Silver to the Swiss Michelle Luisa Heimberg (258.80), bronze to the British Desharne Bent-Ashmeil (254.35). Fifth was the Italian Elisa Pizzini (245.30).

By virtue of her success in the meter, a non-Olympic specialty, Chiara achieved her eighteenth medal at European level, her ninth gold. Pellacani, from Rome, becomes the second most medaled European diver in history after Tania Cagnotto, capable of 17 golds and 25 medals overall from 2002 to 2015. With the gold in Paris, Tommaso Marconi’s student surpasses the retired Russians Vera Ilina (1991-2004) and Yulia Pakhalina (1995-2008) who both boast in their palmares eight golds. Pellacani’s success comes a few hours after winning another gold medal, together with Mattia Santoro, in the mixed synchro from the three-meter springboard.

The Aquatic Center in Paris had not left Chiara with a wonderful memory: two fourth places at the 2024 Olympics, in the 3 meter springboard and in the synchro test paired with Elena Bertocchi. Now, the Parisian facility has given her another unforgettable day: a double gold in less than two hours at European level. A golden encore that puts the 23-year-old financier who lives, trains and studies in Miami straight into the history of diving on the Old Continent.

As said before, better than her only Tania Cagnottowho also remains the only one to have won at least one medal in six specialties: none like her. “I’m honored to be compared to a champion like Tania, I’m trying to write my story, let’s see what will happen”, said Chiara. Pellacani, after the splendid gold together with his lifelong friend Matteo Santoro, defended the crown of ‘Queen’ of the one meter springboard with a perfect performance. She did it with a monstrous score, 298.90, which not even the Chinese always reach. The Italian opens the program with the somersault and half back pike, impeccable in control and very clean in entering the water. Chiara immediately jumps to first place. Pellacani’s qualities and talents also emerge in the second dive, the double somersault and half forward pike. The pre-jump of the third dive allows Tommaso Marconi’s student to best perform the grouped double somersault and half inversion.

The Italian increases the gap, 28 points more than the second, the French Nais Gillet, at the end of the twelfth and last race causes the error on the fourth jump. In the penultimate round Chiara surpasses herself: the half-inverted somersault with a half-free twist ends high and is closed perfectly. On the fifth dive, the work is completed with the somersault and half return pike. Monday is a day of relaxation for Pellacani and Pizzini: the two Italians will return to the springboard on Tuesday in the three-meter competition before the grand finale, the springboard synchro. Chiara promised five medals, at the moment she has three and all gold.

Director Bertone, “bestial Sunday”

“A beastly Sunday. I thought, on the first day we made a splash with gold in the team event, here we made a big splash. Chiara is in perfect shape: I have never seen her so precise in training, constant, punctual. She arrived and said she wants to bring home five medals. Of course, now there are three gold medals.” This is the immediate comment of the technical director of Italtuffi, Oscar Bertone after the double gold won, in less than two hours, first by the three-meter synchro pair Chiara Pellacani-Matteo Santoro and then by Pellacani in the one-meter springboard. “To tell the truth, I was hoping to find two athletes on the podium, because Elisa (Pizzini) deserved it – added Bertone -. Everyone is fine and with a smile on their faces and this is what interests me. Every day is a day in itself, we lived this one in a crazy way”.