On the last dive, literally. Thus arrived Stefano Belotti and Matteo Santoro’s European bronze in the Paris swimming pool.
Twenty-two and nineteen years old, they set out to amaze and collected a heavy metal, the fourth medal of the Italian expedition, after an entire race flirting with a podium that seemed to slip away at the end.
Then, in the last round, when they were fifth in the ranking, here comes a double somersault and a half forward with two pike twists that makes the difference: 80.58 points, with the British Anthony Harding and Jack Laugher overtaken by just 48 hundredths.
Gold went to Germany by Lou Noel Guy Massenberg and Jonathan Gisbert Schauer, silver to Russia by Evgenii Kuznetsov and Nikita Shleikher.
Bertone: «They are the couple of the future»
«They are the couple of the future, first of all – it is the blessing of the Italian technical director Oscar Bertone. The choice to bring them here and have them compete here is based on the fact that next year there will be an Olympic qualification and above all the Los Angeles Games will arrive in 2028. They are two cheerful boys, they love each other and therefore they train with a smile on their faces every time they get on the trampoline and this is what makes the difference in these European championships for our team.”
The words of Santoro and Belotti
«I have invested a lot in myself, to manage the responsibilities that I shoulder alone – says the 19-year-old Roman Matteo Santoro, fresh from gold medals in the team event and in the synchro with his lifelong friend Chiara Pellacani. Today I had a lot more pressure on me than yesterday, but I worked with the breathing exercises and did it like a professional, I outdid myself.”
«I am very satisfied with how the whole year went – explains the 22-year-old Stefano Belotti, making his debut in the Parisian event. I moved from Bergamo to Rome and changed everything, then with the serenity and fun everything went well and I’m very happy with the result.”