Italy’s Chiara Pellacani, named best women’s diver in the 2025 European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards, is heading towards Paris 2026 boosted by historic recent achievement in individual and mixed competition.

At last year’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore the 23-year-old from Rome combined with Matteo Santoro in the 3m synchro to earn Italy’s first world diving gold since 2015.

It was the culmination of ambition for a pair who had been mixed 3m synchro silver medallists at the World Aquatics Championships in 2022 and 2024 and bronze medallists in 2023.

Pellacani, who had previously earned four world medals in synchro events, also made an individual breakthrough in Singapore as she won bronze medals in the 1m and 3m springboard.

Earlier in the year Pellacani had achieved success at the European Aquatics Diving Championships in Antalya, where she won the 1m springboard title and she and Santoro took 3m synchro silver.

She has mixed memories of her last competition in the Olympic Aquatics Center having finished fourth in the women’s 3m and – with Elena Bertocci – the 3m syncho springboard events at the Paris 2024 Games.

Looking back now on your Paris 2024 experiences, which do you most clearly recall?

What I remember the most are all the emotions. Everything felt bigger than usual, like walking into the venue, hearing the crowd, and sharing those moments with my team and family. I also remember that there was a mix of excitement and pressure every single day. It was very intense, but also beautiful at the same time.

What do you remember of the Olympic atmosphere and the city? Did it feel different to other competitions?

Yes, definitely. The Olympics feel completely different from any other competition because you can feel how important that moment is for everyone there. The atmosphere in Paris was amazing, so exciting and also emotional.

I think the city made it even more special because everywhere you went you could feel the Olympic spirit. When you were walking around you could see the Olympic rings all over the city.

Fourth place is tough. How different as an athlete and a person do you think you are heading into Paris 2026 compared to Paris 2024?


For me the fourth place was hard to accept at first but now looking back at it I think it helped me grow a lot as a person and as an athlete.

I think I learned more about myself, about how to handle pressure and difficult moments. Now I definitely feel more mature, more confident and also more motivated.

Experiences like that can be very hard to handle and it’s also hard to keep going from there. But with the right support and help you can win and start becoming even more motivated.

How inspirational were your experiences last year when you and Matteo won world gold and you won first world individual medals?

I think the World Championships in Singapore gave me a lot of confidence. Winning world gold with Matteo and my first individual world medals showed me that me and my team are working in the right way. It made me realise what my potential is and I can’t wait for more.

You’ve been winning European golds since 2018. What are your personal ambitions for Paris 2026?

My goal for Paris 2026 is to win as many gold medals as possible. I will be competing in five events. But also, even more than that I want to enjoy every single moment of this competition. It will be a lot of fun and my family will be there.

How significant will the Paris 2026 Championships be for you in terms of a marker on the route to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics?

I think every big competition on the way to Los Angeles is very important. Paris 2026 will be another chance to grow, gain some more experience and understand where I can still improve. LA 2028 is definitely in my mind so every step before then matters.

Were you able to have friends and family watching you in Paris two years ago? If so, how special was that and will it happen again this summer?
Yes, having my family there meant a lot to me. In moments like the Olympics sharing the experience with the people you love makes it even more special. Their support helps me so much and I am so happy they will be there this summer too

Did you have much chance to experience Paris as a city in 2024? Any particular places/scenes that resonated strongly? What will be on your city wishlist this summer?

I was able to visit a little bit during the Olympics even if it wasn’t much, but even just walking around a little in the city was special.

Seeing the Eiffel Tower with the Olympic atmosphere around it is something I will always remember.

This summer I would love to enjoy the city a bit more, to spend more time outside the competition venue and experience more of the Paris lifestyle. I would love to visit authentic places that are not too touristy – maybe the French divers could help me with that!

Diving at the European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 will take place at the Olympic Aquatics Center from July 31 to August 6.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics