Chiara Pellacani is Italy's star ski jumper. © DLife

The first day whets the appetite for more.

The first day of competition at the 48th Grand Prix Diving Meeting in the Lido of Bolzano, with nearly 200 participants from 18 nations, took place on Friday. The competition continues over the weekend – and under perfect weather conditions.

July 03, 2026

From: ph

No South Tyrolean divers are represented this year, but Bolzano's former icon Tania Cagnotto is there as FIN Vice President (she is also on the CONI board) and a former top diver. She watched the competitions attentively from the poolside.

Following the preliminary rounds in the morning, an opening ceremony took place at 14 p.m. The first finals were held in the late afternoon. Nine pairs participated in the women's synchronized 3-meter springboard competition. Of the 18 divers, only one was not born in this millennium. Canadian Lila Chanel Stewart was even born in 2008. Everyone probably already has the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in mind.

There's still room for improvement.

Italy sent their experienced duo Chiara Pellacani and Elisa Pizzini to the competition. Only the British pair Evie Smith and Tilly Brown represented Europe. After five jumps (two compulsory, three free), the victory went to the Canadians Margo Claire Erlam and Mia Valle. The two Italians faltered slightly on jumps four and five, but it was enough for second place. Pellacani commented in a subsequent TV interview: "All in all, it's going very well. We need to improve jumps four and five even more in preparation for the European Championships in Paris." Pizzini added: "We've been training together in Rome since May, which allows us to work much more effectively on synchronization."

Chiara Pellacani and Elisa Pizzini. © DLife

The host country had further reason to celebrate. In the men's synchronized platform diving competition, Raffaele Pelligra and his diving partner Simone Conte finished in third place. The winning US duo was out of reach.

Personalities from sports, business, and politics also attended the first day of competition. Among them was the President of the South Tyrolean Parliament, Angelo Gennaccaro, a long-time fan of sporting events. A celebratory dinner was held for invited guests on Friday evening. The Grand Prix in Bolzano is popular and has a long tradition. Organizing committee head Ardelio Michielli and his team are doing an excellent job.