German divers secure two gold medals at European Championships in Paris German divers Lou Massenberg and Jonathan Schauer claimed gold in the mixed synchronized three-meter springboard competition at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris on Monday. The duo, representing Germany, delivered a flawless performance and capitalized on the mistakes of their competitors, particularly the highly favored British pair Anthony Harding and Jack Laugher, who made errors in their third and fourth dives. This victory marks the second German gold medal of the championships, following Moritz Wesemann’s success in the individual one-meter springboard event earlier in the week. The competition saw Massenberg and Schauer maintain composure throughout the early rounds, which required more than difficulty level 2.0, and gradually built up their lead. After Harding and Laugher's initial missteps, Schauer executed a powerful dive from the outer edge of the board, securing a substantial advantage. The German pair remained unshaken, with Italian competitors Stefano Belotti and Matteo Santoro also struggling to match their form. Russia’s Evgenii Kuznetsov and Nikita Shleikher scored high points in their final dive, but Massenberg and Schauer responded with a commanding score of 86.64, finishing with a 14.85-point margin over the Russian duo. Italy’s Belotti and Santoro took bronze with 284.19 points, just shy of the silver-winning Russian pair. This achievement brings Massenberg’s total number of European Championship gold medals to four, though his last such win was four years ago in 2022. Since joining forces with Schauer in early 2026 after moving from Berlin-based TSC to SV Halle, the duo has already secured multiple titles, including a recent national championship. Schauer described the victory as “surreal,” acknowledging the immense effort and precision required. Massenberg echoed this sentiment, calling the competition “unbelievable” and expressing pride in exceeding their target of around 400 points. Earlier in the week, Moritz Wesemann successfully defended his title in the individual one-meter springboard event, marking another milestone for the German team. On Friday, Wesemann secured his second consecutive European Championship title. Before that, Pauline Pfeif and Elena Wassen won silver in the mixed synchronized ten-meter tower event, while Lena Hentschel and Luis Avila Sanchez earned bronze in the mixed synchronized three-meter springboard competition on Sunday. Their bronze came after a strong comeback, overcoming challenges during their performance. In the mixed synchronized three-meter event, Hentschel and Avila Sanchez faced stiff competition, finishing behind Italy’s Chiara Pellacani and Matteo Santoro, who dominated with a near-perfect display. Despite a slight error in their second dive, the German pair managed to close the gap significantly. However, they fell short of the podium in the individual one-meter event, where Hentschel struggled with inconsistent entries. Her performance led to a tenth-place finish, although she had previously won her third European Championship title in the same discipline. Pauline Pfeif added to Germany’s medal tally by winning silver in the ten-meter tower event, scoring 305.30 points. She narrowly missed out on gold, which went to British diver Maise Bond. Dutch athlete Else Praasterink finished just 0.15 points behind Pfeif in third place. Meanwhile, the German team continued its successful run, with Massenberg and Schauer’s gold being the latest addition to their impressive list of achievements. With four medals already secured, the German diving squad looks poised for further success as the championships continue. The performances of both teams highlight the depth of talent within Germany’s aquatic sports programs, setting the stage for potential future successes on the international stage.
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