Chiara Pellacani and Matteo Santoro, now celebrated as world champion divers, began their diving journey together as children in Rome, Italy. The two, who have known each other since their school days and even spent vacations together as kids, started competing as a synchronized diving pair around 2018, when Santoro was about 12 and Pellacani was around 16. Their early partnership laid the foundation for a remarkable career, with the duo achieving a historic gold medal in the mixed 3m springboard synchro at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, marking Italy’s first-ever world championship gold in a synchronized diving event.
Their long-standing bond and shared training at the Rome-based M.R. Sport Fratelli Marconi club fostered a deep synergy, with Pellacani describing Santoro as “like a brother” and their coach, Tommaso Marconi, noting they “seem born to dive together.” By 2021, at ages 14 and 18 respectively, they won their first major international medal together, a gold in the mixed 3m synchro at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships (held in 2021) in Budapest. This early success was followed by consistent podium finishes, including a silver at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, where Santoro, at 15, became Italy’s youngest diver to medal at the event.
Their childhood connection, rooted in shared experiences and rigorous training, has been pivotal to their success, culminating in multiple world and European medals. As they prepare to train together at the University of Miami, their lifelong partnership continues to drive their dominance in synchronized diving.