Italy Claims Bronze in Mixed Free Duet at European Aquatics Championships

Pelati and Ruggiero Claim Artistic Bronze in Paris

The Italian pair earned 255.1641 points in the mixed free duet final, relying on an Argentinian tango routine carrying a difficulty coefficient of 56.350, which marked the highest technical tariff of the entire final according to Italpress.

Because the Italian duo swam first in the rotation order, they faced an anxious wait through the remaining performances. Completing the classification, neutral athletes Alina Rumiantseva and Zakhar Trofimov placed fourth with 238.0834 points, followed by Portugal with 181.5924 points and Bulgaria with 157.0717 points as reported by Italpress.

Pelati commented to Sky Sport in a post-event interview that they entered the water feeling light and were very satisfied with today’s performance, explaining that the goal was to improve their artistic impression and they achieved that, so they were happy nonetheless. He then added regarding the execution scores that he saw they received a synchronization penalty and that definitely took something away compared to the pairs who preceded them as recorded by Italpress.

Marsaglia Finishes Fourth in 1-Meter Springboard Final

In the diving venue, Lorenzo Marsaglia narrowly missed the podium in the men’s 1-meter springboard final. The 29-year-old Roman diver, representing Marina Militare and Canottieri Aniene, totaled 387.00 points, finishing fourth in a competition dominated by high-tariff programs reported by ANSA.

Germany’s Moritz Wesemann successfully defended his European title, taking gold with 431.45 points noted by ANSA and regional reports. Great Britain’s Jack Laugher took silver with 418.25 points and teammate Jordan Houlden claimed bronze with 410.30 points according to ANSA.

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Platform Debuts and Team Successes in Paris

The second day of competition at the 2026 European Championships also featured the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform final during an unusual evening session, where debutantes Matilde Marzetti (CS Carabinieri/Canottieri Aniene) and Irene Pesce (M.R. Sport) placed sixth with 243.30 points detailed by source reporting. The pair encountered execution deductions on their third dive—a backward 2.5 somersault with 1.5 twists—due to differing entry timings and execution styles, though Pesce showed slightly more precision in the voluntary dives while aiming to gain international experience. Great Britain’s Maisie Bond and Lois Toulson won the platform gold with 300.06 points ahead of silver medalists Pauline Alexandra Pfeif and Elena Wassen of Germany (298.20 points) and bronze medalists Kseniia Bailo and Sofiia Vystavkina of Ukraine (286.20 points) according to ANSA.

Earlier in the meet, the mixed team diving gold cued Italy’s strong championship opening at the ongoing European Championships in Paris. Chiara Pellacani (Fiamme Gialle/M.R. Sport), Sarah Jodoin di Maria, Matteo Santoro (Marina Militare/M.R. Sport), and debutant Raffaele Pelligra triumphed in the team event, prompting enthusiastic reactions from the squad reported by Rai Sport and regional outlets.

Chiara Pellacani stated to Rai Sport that they were truly overjoyed and could not have started in a better way, noting that it was an ice-breaking event and was not easy, while also wanting to congratulate Raffaele on his debut because he did really well. Raffaele Pelligra, praised by all his teammates for his first European appearance, added that it was truly emotional and a wonderful way to begin these European Championships.

Santoro admitted to pre-event nerves on the 3-meter springboard, noting that there is anxiety even in these competitions and he was a bit nervous, but in the end it went well. Teammate Sarah Jodoin di Maria affirmed that she had fun, they performed all six dives well, and it is a good start for the mixed synchro as well.