A feat no Italian had ever achieved before. Not even Tania Cagnotto, the great reference point of Italian diving for an entire generation. That alone gives an idea of the scale of Chiara Pellacani’s achievement at these European Championships, where she has been untouchable from the opening dives. Two years ago, in Paris but on the Olympic stage, there had been two painful fourth-place finishes. Today, the 23-year-old from Rome celebrates a result without precedent: gold in the 1m springboard, gold in the 3m springboard, gold in the mixed 3m synchro and gold in the mixed team event, with two of those titles arriving within a matter of hours. Then there is another milestone, one that perhaps carries the same weight as the medals themselves. “Chiara is showing that she is among the best in the world,” said Cagnotto, in what felt like a natural passing of the torch. “She has a beautiful way of competing, one that conveys lightness and calm. There are some dives that were very physical for me, and I would have envied the way she makes them look.”
The numbers are hard to overlook. A world title in Singapore in 2025. Ten European medals overall, five of them won in the last two years. Pellacani is still climbing in a discipline where the margins are almost invisible, where medals are decided by centimetres, fractions of seconds and the smallest details in execution, and where careers are rarely as long as people imagine. Cagnotto’s longevity, ending her career at 35, was extraordinary in itself. Yet, as Tania pointed out, the new Italian star has shown a rare ability to manage pressure with complete naturalness. Alongside that comes a grace and talent that belong to very few athletes. The kind of qualities that can turn an athlete into the face of a new era for a sport looking for its next names.
“I’m trying to write my own story,” Pellacani said in recent days. “I’m honoured to be compared with a champion like Tania. I’m giving everything to this sport, putting my heart into it and enjoying the moment. I try to live each day calmly, but at the same time I continue to give everything: the goal is another gold medal.” That chance comes tomorrow, when Chiara will compete alongside Elisa Pizzini in the women’s 3m synchro. Already, though, there is something that cannot be taken away.
Pellacani’s success has roots between Rome and Miami, where she trains while continuing her life as a student-athlete, having recently graduated in psychology. “Something that helped me mature as a person too,” she told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I became passionate about university competitions and I feel around me an academic support system that still has room to grow in Italy.” Life in Florida has brought her closer to the Miami Dolphins, while her brother Lorenzo plays football for Gelbison in Serie D. There is sport everywhere in Chiara’s life, even away from the diving boards. “Now I’m also trying to help the younger Italian athletes. And those two fourth places at Paris 2024 helped me understand my own value, confirming that my goals are truly within reach.” These European Championships are another moment in a longer path. The focus is already on Los Angeles 2028, an Olympic Games that will almost feel like home. For Pellacani, it is the next great challenge. The natural continuation of everything that has come before.