A true battle for medals is unfolding in Paris at the 2026 European Diving Championships. The Ukrainian team has marked this tournament with a historic achievement, securing their first gold medal. The triumphant winners in the mixed synchronized 10m platform event were Ksenia Bailo and Alexey Sereda.
Fight for the lead
From the first seconds of the final, the Ukrainian duo engaged in a fierce struggle for the top spots. Already after the second dive, Bailo and Sereda seized the interim lead. They managed not only to take the top spot but to confidently hold it throughout the subsequent dives, narrowly outpacing their main rivals from Germany — the pair of Ole Johannes Rösler and Paulina Alexandra Pfeifer.
The decisive dive
The fate of the championship was decided in the final, fifth attempt. The athletes demonstrated the highest level of mastery, executing a complex backward dive with two and a half somersaults and one and a half twists. For this technically flawless execution, the judges awarded the highest score of the entire competition — 81.60 points.
In the end, the total score for the Ukrainian pair was 323.16 points. This result was enough to comfortably outpace not only the German pair but also the Spanish pair, who took the remaining podium spots.
Tournament results
This success became the first "gold" for Ukraine at Euro 2026. In total, the national diving team has already won four medals at the tournament. Previously, Alexey Sereda won "bronze" alongside Mark Grytsenko (10m platform), while Ksenia Bailo climbed the third step of the podium in synchronized diving with Sofia Vystavyk and as part of the mixed team.
