Gay world champion addresses rumors he’s dating his diving partner
Diver Matteo Santoro, with success at the European Aquatics Championships, responded to gossip about dating diving partner Stefano Belotti.
Mark
Italian diving sensation Matteo Santoro has reportedly addressed rumors about his relationship with his synchro partner, Stefano Belotti.
Speculation is said to have begun online after the pair delivered a remarkable performance at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris.
Competing Monday in the men’s 3-meter synchronized springboard event, 19-year-old Santoro, who is already a world champion, snatched a podium place alongside Belotti with their final dive.
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Having moved through six rounds, they saved their best execution for last, securing bronze by 0.48 points from the British pair of Jack Laugher and Anthony Harding.
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“I’ve had many times where I’ve put everything down to the last dive, and it’s even better to take the bronze medal in this way,” said Santoro afterwards.
On Belotti, he added: “We had a lot of fun during the competition and diving together in general.”
Belotti, 22, has a big following on social media and previously won gold alongside Santoro at the World Youth Championships in 2022.
The two teammates naturally have a close bond, and the chemistry between them appears to have led to fans asking if Santoro and Belotti are actually dating in real life.
@eurovisionsport Fifth place. One dive to go. Italy needed something extraordinary to reach the podium: they delivered. 80.58 points and a bronze medal won with the final dive
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Matteo Santoro came out as gay last year alongside Max Linan
The chatter grew loud enough that Santoro has addressed the speculation directly, according to the Italian website Gay.it.
The LGBTQ outlet says that Santoro told them: “I want to point out that we are not a couple in real life.”
The current interest in Santoro’s love life follows his public coming out as a gay elite athlete last year.
In July 2025, it became known through an anniversary Instagram post that he was dating Spanish diver Max Linan, who confirmed to Outsports at the time that both divers are gay.
Today, however, Santoro and Linan are not known to be still dating (the Instagram post has since been taken down), leaving Santoro’s current relationship status unclear.
The 19-year-old Italian’s bronze medal alongside Belotti is just one moment in a fast-moving career in which he has amassed 24 senior and youth medals on the international stage in just five years.
His biggest highlight to date came at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore last summer. Competing in the mixed 3-meter springboard event alongside his longtime partner Chiara Pellacani, Santoro went on to win the gold medal, earning the title of world champion.
Last September, he moved to Miami to study and train with the Hurricanes Swim and Dive team, with whom Pellacani was already based.
Matteo Santoro looking to add another medal to his Paris tally
Santoro’s success with Pellacani has continued into the current European Aquatics Championships. In addition to his men’s synchro medal with Belotti, Santoro has so far captured two European gold medals during the Paris championships.
He reunited with Pellacani to win European gold in the mixed 3-meter springboard event, demonstrating the synchro harmony that has made them world leaders in the discipline. Furthermore, Santoro earned another gold medal in Paris as part of the Italian contingent in the mixed team event.
With his bronze alongside Belotti, that makes three medals for the Championships so far.
The busy schedule in the French capital is not yet over for the young champion. After securing those podium finishes in the synchro and team events, he has turned his attention to individual competition.
Santoro qualified eighth out of 12 divers for the men’s individual 3-meter springboard final on Wednesday night, giving him another opportunity to compete for a medal against the elite in Europe.
Linan also competed in the morning preliminary round but was placed 22nd and did not advance to the final.
Looking beyond the current week in Paris, Santoro is building towards the biggest event of all. As one of the brightest young talents in international diving, he has his sights set on competing at the LA 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Refreshingly, he appears to be navigating the sometimes tricky aspect of providing Team LGBTQ representation with aplomb, taking control of his narrative by interacting with the media.
For a young athlete on a rapid rise, that’s an encouraging sign.
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