Italy’s Chiara Pellacani will compete at Paris 2026 seeking – with amply justified confidence – to add to her total of 19 European diving medals.
Still only 23, Pellacani was voted European Aquatics’ female diver of 2025 after her blaze of glory at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, where she earned 1m and 3m bronze – her first individual world medals – and combined with Matteo Santoro to win the 3m mixed synchro.
Earlier in the year she won her first European 1m springboard title in Antalya.
But Pellacani’s path to the top step of the podium will not be simple given the presence of the Swiss athlete who won European 3m gold last year, Michelle Heimberg.
Heimberg, who took six months off to re-assess her life after narrowly missing qualification for Paris 2024, returned with added momentum in Antalya, where she also secured 1m springboard bronze.
Her impending contests with Pellacani promise to be among the highlights of Paris 2026.
Other strong contenders include Armenia’s Alexandra Bibikina, 3m silver medallist at Antalya 2025, Sweden’s Elna Widerstrom, the 2024 European 1m champion who won silver last time round, and Germany’s 3m bronze medallist of last year Lena Hentschel.
Great Britain will also challenge strongly for Also in the mix for women’s springboard medals.
Paris 2024 bronze medallist in the 3m synchro, Yasmin Harper goes in the 3m and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, a Paris 2024 bronze medallist in the 10m synchro, who returned to competition this season after a year off and who will compete in the 1m springboard.
Meanwhile Desharne Bent-Ashmeil, who won 3m gold at the 2024 Europeans, will challenge in both the 1m and 3m.
Not present in Antalya but making their return here will be the presence of Neutral Athletes B – which will add an intriguing new dimension to competition.
They will be represented in the 3m by Nadezhda Trifonova, this year’s European junior silver medallist and 3m synchro gold medallist, who will turn18 on August 1.
Italy’s Sarah Jodoin Di Maria will defend her 10m platform title from the 2025 silver and bronze medallists, Pauline Pfeif of Germany and Dutch diver Else Praasterink.
Lois Toulson, who partnered Spendolini-Sirieix at the last Olympics, will be a strong medal contender, as will her team-mate Maisie Bond.
Spain will be looking for success through Ana Carvajal, who also be defending the 10m synchro title with Valeria Antolino.
It will be interesting to see how 16-year-old NAB Aleksandra Kedrina steps up to senior level after retaining her European junior 10m title this year.
She and Anna Konanykhina will also be strong contenders in the 10m syncho having placed second at last year’s Diving Super cup and having won this year’s European junior title.
Ukraine meanwhile will be hoping for further success from Kseniia Bochuk and Diana Karnafel, 2024 world junior champions in the 3m synchro, who won European junior 3m synchro silver in 2025 and then senior European gold in Antalya.
Diving at the European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 will take place from July 31 to August 6.
Click here for the event page, which includes all start lists and results.
Click here to watch all of the action on Eurovision Sport.
Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics
