Courtesy: European Aquatics
Ukraine showcased its breadth of competitive talent here at a sun-soaked Gloria Sports Arena today with a dramatic victory in the mixed team event which opened the European Aquatics Diving Championships Antalya 2025.
Leaders after the second of the six rounds, Ukraine had to rise to a final challenge when Germany, thanks to an inspired individual 10m platform dive from Ole Rosler, took a 1.40 points lead with only the concluding 10m platform synchro dive to come.
Kseniia Bailo, 20, and 18-year-old Kirill Boliukh, who won the mixed 3m synchro at the 2023 edition of these Championships, leant on that experience to produce an imposing score of 76.80 with their Back 2 ½ Somersaults 1 ½ Twists Pike (5253B) which gave Ukraine a final total of 407.20.
That left Rosler and Pauline Pfeif needing just short of 76 points to regain the lead with their Inward 3 ½ Somersaults Tuck (407C).
There were cheers and whoops from their supporters around the pool as they produced a clean effort, and it was good – but not good enough. A total of 68.80 established Germany in silver medal position on 400.60.
Rosler’s total of 82.50 with his Back 3 ½ Somersaults Tuck (207C) was the highest scoring dive of the competition, although the 79.20 accrued by Ukraine’s 19-year-old Oleksii Sereda, now the owner of six European golds, was not far behind.
Ukraine’s tactic of designating the 3m springboard synchro dive and the solo 10m platform dives to Sereda and Sofiia Lyskun, joint silver medallist in the women’s individual 10m platform last year, before giving Bailo and Boliukh the task of synchronising conclusively worked to perfection.
Italy, who had taken a first-round lead through Chiara Pellacani’s opening score of 60.45 in the first of the two individual 3m springboard dives, had dipped to fourth place after the 3m synchro involving Pellacani and Matteo Santoro.
But Sarah Jodoin di Maria’s 10m platform effort of 64.00 saw them move into bronze medal position ahead of Poland and she and Riccardo Giovannini maintained that standing as they finished on 360.40 points to Poland’s 354.10 after matching the Poles’ final effort of 72.00 exactly.
Reflecting on the victory, Sereda told European Aquatics: “We are really happy. We showed great dives and we have the gold. I’m satisfied I did one individual and one synchro dive, I showed great dives, and as I said before I only want gold medals from this European Championship.
“I’ve got my first gold now and I hope I get the same result in my individual event.”
Asked to comment on what a fourth successive medal in this event – silver, gold, silver and now gold – says about Ukraine diving, Sereda said: “We see the result, we see what we are training for, we are improving our skills in diving and we are getting great results. And I think in future it will be even better.”
Speaking about the final decisive dive, Bailo commented: “I felt really nervous before the dive because I saw Germany was in first place, so it was just in the moment I felt like ‘I need to do my best.’ So when I heard “8” I thought: ‘Yeah!’”
Sereda added: “This is a very good start in a season when we have the World Championships. This is a really great experience for us, just to dive here, feel the water and the atmosphere of this competition. For us this is a really, really great warm-up before the World Championships.
“I am here personally for the eleventh or the 12th time, We have visited here almost every year since when I was 12 years old. And I was always thinking maybe it’s going to be someday a European Championship here.
“And here we are, and we have won a gold medal. It’s a strange feeling, but that’s cool, and I feel almost as if I am competing at home here.”
Germany’s Pfeiff said: “We feel great. It was really exciting towards the end. We were aiming for a medal and now its silver we are really proud.
Reflecting on the fact that Germany had a different quartet from 2024, Rosler added: “It was kind of tough, especially with the nationals just last week. We didn’t know exactly who was going to compete where and so we had some slight changes and also just a little break between competitions. We were very tired, but it was very nice to get a medal here.
“These medals are now pushing the whole team. I would say emotions and mentality is very important in a competition because everybody is able to almost perfect dives and it just depends on who is able to show it in competition. So this gives us great energy in our team.”
Commenting on Italy’s bronze, Pellacani said: “We are happy for the result but I think all of us were hoping for maybe a silver or gold. Our individual dives were not our best, but the mixed synchro in both springboard and platform were really good. But we can definitely do more.
“I think I just need to work a bit more on my individual. And then I will be ready for the next event.”
It felt really nice to be back as we missed the Europeans last year because of the Olympics, and I think it’s a good start and we are all excited for what’s coming next.
“I think its always more stressful to watch than to do the dives, but Riccardo and Sarah did amazing at the end, and that’s what we needed to get the medal.”
Spain, the holders, came back from a disappointing showing in the 3m springboard as 17-year-old Ana Carvajal and Jorge Rodriguez Ledesma produced individual 10m platform efforts of 72.00 and 74.35 respectively, eventually placing fifth on 261.95.
Great Britain’s prospects dimmed right at the start as Amy Rollinson failed to register a mark for her opening 3m platform dive, but her team mate Matthew Dixon responded in the best possible fashion by earning 79.80 points – the second best total of the competition with his effort before both athletes combined for a 3m syncho total of 58.50.
Earlier at the Opening Ceremony Gorkem Donmez, general manager of the Gloria Sports Arena, welcomed all present to what is the first international diving championship to have been held at this venue, adding: “So you are part of the history, we are part of the history right now.
“The Gloria Sports Arena has welcomed more than 14,000 athletes and more 139 different nations. All the athletes that have trained here have won more than 1000 medals in European and world championships and Olympics.
Marco Troll, the European Aquatics Vice President, said: “Over the next few days we have gathered not only to witness world class sport, but also to celebrate the spirit of unity, excellence and the timeless fascination of water. We are honoured to welcome 23 nations and their best divers to this prestigious event.”
