Gay teen diver wins gold at World Championships after confirming relationship with fellow athlete
Gold medallists Italy’s divers Matteo Santoro and Chiara Pellacani pose on the podium after the final of the mixed 3m synchronised diving event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 30, 2025. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Gold medallists Italy's divers Matteo Santoro and Chiara Pellacani pose on the podium after the final of the mixed 3m synchronised diving event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 30, 2025. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Italian diver Matteo Santoro has won gold at the World Championships – and been met with celebrations from fellow elite diver and boyfriend, Max Liñan.
Matteo Santoro won gold at the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships in the Mixed 3m synchronised event alongside Chiara Pellacani.
The pair beat out second-place finishing Australian duo Cassiel Rousseau and Maddison Keeney, and Chinese divers Cheng Zilong and Li Yajie at the OCBC Aquatic Centre, 30 July – in a first for Italy.
And though a gold medal at the World Championships may be good, a celebration from one’s boyfriend is the cherry on top.
Max Liñan, an elite diver for Spain, who celebrated his one year anniversary with Santoro recently, took to his Instagram story, tagging Santoro and Pellacani with some gold medal emojis alongside a post celebrating their win.
Matteo Santoro, 19, and Max Liñan, 18, celebrated their one year anniversary with a separate but equally sweet Instagram post dated 18 July.
“1 añito,” the post read, with a simple love heart emoji, and five snaps of the pair throughout their relationship.
It was the first time they had gone public, and Linan confirmed to Outsports that they are both gay.
Liñan is also competing at the World Championships, for Spain; he placed 23rd out of 59 in the 1m springboard event, and 14th with Juan Cortes in the men’s 3m synchro.
Both he and Santoro are entered in the same event, the 3m springboard, in which they will compete against each other.
After the win, Santoro said: “I’m so happy. With Chiara, I can remain calm. I did breathing exercises, distracting myself. Tomorrow I have the 3-meter individual. I’m celebrating, but I’ll have to reset immediately” (via Outsports).
Though he is the first Italian to win his event, Santoro is not the first gay diver to snatch a gold at the World Championships.
Great Britain’s Tom Daley has four gold medals from the event (2009 to 2024).
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