Established performers as well as host of rising stars made significant statements of their intent, early in the LA 2028 Olympic Games cycle, with eye-catching performances at the 2025 European Diving Championships in Antalya, Turkiye.
Over 100 athletes from 22 nations leapt from the Gloria Sports Arena platform and springboards, during seven days of competition as 11 of the 13 defending champions from Belgrade 2024 returned for the latest instalment of the continental championships.
Oleksii Sereda, who became the youngest-ever European champion diver at the age of 13 back in 2019, was undoubtedly the standout star in Antalya, adding to his already impressive list of honours with the three further titles.
His nation, Ukraine, topped the medal standings with five golds, but it was Germany who won the ‘team of the tournament’ trophy, after attaining 12 podium finishes.
For their athletes, like many of the elite divers in the field though, the event served as key marker ahead of this year’s World Aquatics Championships.
Here World Aquatics takes a look at some of the standout results at the European Diving Championships and assesses what it might mean for Singapore 2025, across July and August.
Oleksii Sereda – Ukraine – 3x Gold
The now 19-year-old began his campaign with a strong Mixed Team victory alongside Kseniia Bailo, Kirill Boliukh and Sofiia Lyskun, in what served as a strong warm-up for his main disciplines, the synchronised 10m and individual 10m platform contests.
Although a strong favourite in the men’s traditional blue-ribbon event the teenager has struggled with sporadic back injuries in recent seasons and in a sport like diving, with margins so acutely fine, there was no guaranteed he would return to the European summit.
While he will face stronger challenges at the Worlds – via athletes most likely hailing from China, Japan, Mexico and Australia – Sereda was supreme against his continental opponents.
In the post-Tom Daley era Sereda is arguably now the most recognisable name in Europe and despite the war in his homeland understandably impacting his preparations for this event, as well as last year’s Olympics, he was peerless.
His victory alongside 15-year-old Mark Hrytsenko was particularly impressive given they are a new pair and something of an unknown quantity at this level.
“I’m very happy with my results and three gold medals shows I am on the right track,” Sereda told World Aquatics.
“For me this is just another step towards a big goal, so I have to keep moving forwards with more confidence at the World Championships.”
Germany’s Wesemann and Hetschel Claim Quads
Moritz Wesemann attained breakthrough successes in 2023 with individual 3m titles at both the European Games and European Championships, the former of which secured Germany a place in the discipline for Paris 2024.
While the Olympian had to settle for bronze in his favoured event in Antalya, with silver in the Mixed Team discipline, but he would land both the 1m and synchronised 3m titles, for the first time in his career, the latter alongside Timo Barthel.
“The first time I competed at the European Championships (in 2022) I was fourth and to now be winning gold is very, very encouraging,” he said.
Also heading back to her homeland with four European honours was Wesemann’s countrywoman Lena Hentschel.
As Olympic disciplines, successes in the synchronised 3m – silver alongside Jette Muller – and individual 3m bronze, will understandably gain the most attention, but her dramatic victory with teenage debutant Luis Avila was also highly celebrated.
The pair impressively overalled multiple World medal-winning duo Chiara Pellacani and Matteo Santoro in the final round, much to the delight of the strong German support on site.
“I’m so proud to be part of this amazing team and finishing the European Championships with four medals feels incredible,” said Hentschel, who was also part of Germany’s silver medal-winning Mixed Team line-up on the opening day of competition.
Another German diver worthy of strong acknowledgment is Ole Johannes Rosler, with the 17-year-old World junior medallist claiming three maiden senior honours – silver in the 10m platform, synchronised 10m and Mixed Team events.
Jodoin di Maria and Pellacani Complete European Medal Sets
Italian Sarah Jodoin di Maria is no stranger to success, having previously claimed six European medals since her first in 2021, but for the first time in her career the 25-year-old attained a maiden individual title, with an impressive 10m victory.
The Canada-born diver finished ahead of surprise medal-winners Pauline Alexandra Pfeif of Germany and Else Praasterink, who created a rare moment of Dutch delight in the sport, with bronze.
Jodoin would complete the set of medals with silver in the Mixed Synchronised 10m event and bronze in the Mixed Team discipline.
Team-mate Chiara Pellacani was also part of that latter line-up and had entered the 2025 Europeans with an impressive haul of 20 continental honours already to her name.
She would further expand her collection by adding 1m gold to her synchronised and team successes in Antalya.
“I’m just very happy because I was missing this gold medal – it’s my first one in the 1m,” the Italian said after the final.
The USA-based diver would suffer two fourth-place finishes though, alongside new partner Elisa Pizzini in the synchronised 3m event as well as the individual 3m discipline, which was won my Michelle Heimberg of Switzerland.
Other Stand Out Results At Antalya 2025
While Heimberh would top the women’s 3m podium, Aleksandra Bibikina of Armenia made history in that event, placing second and recording her nation’s best-ever European Diving Championships result.
Andrzej Rzeszutek of Poland continued to show that age does not have to be a barrier to elite performance with the 33 -year-old adding to the 1m title he claimed in 2024, with his nation’s first-ever men’s European 3m title.
It was a final which also saw Britain’s Noah Penman secure a shock silver in what was a high-class line-up featuring serial medal-winners Timo Barthel, Giovanni Tocci and Kirill Boliukh.
At the other end of the age range, Ukrainian teenagers Kseniia Bochek (16) and Diana Karnafel (18) marked their international debut with gold in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard final.
12 months after Anton Knoll helped secure Austria a first European diving medal for eight years, with gold alongside Dariush Lotfi in the synchronised 10m platform event, he achieved another landmark with individual 10m bronze.
For a full run-down of the results at the 2025 European Aquatics Championships, CLICK HERE.