The Magic of Rome: Highlights and Champions of the 2026 WDSF Internazionali di Danza Sportiva

The second Italian edition of the WDSF GrandSlam kicked off on October 2^ndat Pellicone – Centro Olimpico with a total of 1035 athletes from 51 countries registered for the 2026 Internazionali Di Danza Sportiva. Held in Lido di Ostia, a coastal neighborhood in Rome, by the Federazione Italiana DanzaSportiva e Sport Musicali the event took place over the weekend: 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th of October.

1^st Day of Competition, Friday, 2 October: WDSF World Championship Solo Latin Female Under 21 and Ten Dance Under 21

The first day's agenda started with Standard Senior IV and Standard Senior V categories, followed by Latin Under 21, Latin Senior II, Latin Senior II, Ten Dance Adult, Solo Latin Female Under 21 and Ten Dance Under 21.

Among the disciplines competing in Friday’s programme, the World Championship Solo Latin Female Under 21 had an energetic final, with 3 Italian athletes. The champion was Denise Quadrini, representing Italy, who, in tears, received a standing ovation from the crowd in a very emotional and inspiring moment. The reaction of her family, who also shared tears of happiness with her, was moving. She shared the podium with Nguyen Hoang Ngoc (2^nd place) representing Vietnam, and who inspiring story was recently shared in an emotional interview with WDSF, and Beyza Mermutluoglu (3^rd place) representing Turkey, athletes who all demonstrated international excellence and increased competitiveness in the Solo Latin category.

You can check all the results here.

As for the Ten Dance Under 21 World Championship, Tymon Olejarz and Wiktoria Kurda, representing Poland, were crowned world champions. With matching black costumes, their performance was clean and full of energy and rhythm control; their ecstatic connection left the crowd speechless. Their partnering skills in Standard and Latin excelled. Kristupas Mlinskas and Liepa Rudnickaite, representing Lithuania, placed 2^nd. David Parsegian and Anna Elchaninova, representing Armenia, placed 3^rd. The competition was physically demanding, and with each pair presenting pieces alone, presence, adaptability to each style, cleanliness, musicality, and emotion were key.

Tymon Olejarz – Wiktoria Kurda (POL)
Kristupas Mlinskas – Liepa Rudnickaite (LTU)
David Parsegian – Anna Elchaninova (ARM)
Alon Kaykov – Maayan Rier (ISR)
Adria Hernandez – Constandache Malina (ESP)
Toni Melia – Ester Romero (ESP)

You can check all the competition results here.

The Magic of Rome: Highlights and Champions of the 2026 WDSF Internazionali di Danza Sportiva

Other important competitions that took place on Friday were the Open Standard Senior IV, Open Standard Senior V, Open Latin Under 21, Open Latin Senior II, Open Latin Senior III, Open Ten Dance Adult, and the European Championship PD Ten Dance Adult. You can check the results of each one here.

Saturday, 3^rd October – GrandSlam Standard Adult

The competitions that were held over the second day of the event were: Open Standard Senior I, Open Standard Senior III, Open Latin Youth , Open Latin Senior I, Open Latin Rising Stars, Open Latin Female Solo Adult, Open Solo Latin Female Youth, Open PD Latin Adult, and the GrandSlam Standard Adult competed as expected.

The programme of the awaited GrandSlam started with 106 competing couples. The final introduced the 6 finalist couples with excitement. The audience was cheering for the reigning World Champions Rares Cojoc and Andreea Matei, the Romanian couple that has placed 1^st in the GrandSlam’s Standard Adult podium in all competitions since July 2025 in Wuxi, People’s Republic of China. They have also maintained 1st place in the World Standard Adult Championship since November 2025 in Sibiu, Romania.

Countries represented in the final were: Romania, People’s Republic of China, Poland, Italy, and Lithuania. They started with elegance, stamina, technical precision, and musicality by performing a group Tango. It was a competitive evening, with couples who hold very high worldwide rankings, like Yuan Shaoyang and Qi Chongxuan (2^nd in August Standard Adult Grandslam and in July 2026 Standard Adult World Championship), competing against the World Champions.

The final dance was an energetic, challenging Quickstep that demanded the couple’s athletic and emotional control, especially coming to the end of the evening.

After an astonishing final, the podium of the WDSF Standard Adult GrandSlam brought together couples whose discipline and competitiveness reflect excellence at the very highest level of International DanceSport.

Rares Cojoc and Andreea Matei arrived in Rome as reigning world champions and once again claimed 1^st place, delivering an outstanding performance that reflected the highest level of International DanceSport. They shared the podium with Yuan Shaoyang and Qi Chongxuan, who placed 2^nd, and are also among the top names in the world rankings. Dariusz Mycka and Madara Freiberga placed 3^rd, continuing to rank among the leaders in the International Standard Adult category. The Rome 2026 Standard Adult Grand Slam brought elite athletes together to compete and showcase both their excellence and the rising standard of DanceSport worldwide.

Cojoc Rares - Matei Andreea (ROU)
Yuan Shaoyang – Qi Chongxuan (CHN)
Dariusz Mycka – Madara Freiberga (POL)
Georgy Kalashnikov – Grigore Daria (ROU)
Andrea Roccatti – Julia Mozdyniewicz (ITA)
Simonas Seikauskas – Liucija Norusaite (LTU)

The Magic of Rome: Highlights and Champions of the 2026 WDSF Internazionali di Danza Sportiva

Sunday, 4^thOctober – GrandSlam Latin Adult

Out of 101 couples, only 6 made it to the final after 5 rounds. The final opened with a romantic, rhythmic, and expressive group Rumba, followed by Samba performances. Next came a group Paso Doble, then individual Cha-Cha-Cha performances, and the last dance of the event: Jive.

In an explosive, high-energy showcase, Guillem Pascual and Diana-Aniella Illes, silver medalists at the August 2026 GrandSlam in Stuttgart Germany returned to the floor to face Germany’s August 2026 GrandSlam champions: Yan Bangbang and Du Yujun. Both couples delivered exceptional performances, reflecting the level of international DanceSport. The evening was fiercely competitive, with other finalists also holding strong international rankings. Among them, Miculescu lonut Alexandru and Pacurar Andra (ROU) placed 1^st in the June 2026 Latin Adult International Open and 4^th in the Stuttgart, Germany Grand Slam earlier in August. All this added further intensity to an already elite field.

The GrandSlam was accompanied by live music from the Grande Orchestra Italiana, directed by Simone Mezzapesa. During the awards ceremony, every finalist was invited on stage and the stadium filled with applause.

The champions of the Rome 2026 GrandSlam Latin Adult were Guillem Pascual with Diandra-Aniella Illes (ESP). As they stepped onto the podium, they hugged every couple they competed against with a heartfelt gesture of gratitude that reflected the elegance of fair and friendly competition. Each finalist received a diploma, their medals, and additional awards presented by the WDSF vice-president Nenad Jeftic and Laura Lunetta, president of FIDESM.

Guillem Pascual - Diana-Aniella Illes (ESP)
Yan Bangbang - Du Yujun (CHN)
Miculescu lonut Alexandru - Pacurar Andra (ROU)
Konstantin Gorodilov – Polina Figurenko (EST)
Jakub Lipowski – Tereza Kucerova (CZE)
Eric Testa – Federica Brezzo (ITA)

You can check the all the competition results here.

As a magical weekend came to an end, the WDSF Internazionali di Danza Sportiva 2026 will be remembered as an unforgettable celebration of DanceSport where sporting excellence meets artistry. Representing a milestone for Italian DanceSport, the event also helps shape the pathway towards the highest level of international performance.

As Laura Lunetta reiterated about Rome’s GrandSlam:

"The key message is that here every athlete, every coach, and every fan is part of one great community that shares authentic values: commitment, passion, fairness, and the desire to keep improving. Rome welcomes them with energy, but also with deep respect”

WDSF extends its sincere gratitude to the Local Organising Committee, Federazione Italiana DanzaSportiva e Sport Musicali, technical officials, and all partners involved for their commitment in delivering this event of the highest international standard, and BDDANCE x UDANCE, WDSF’s official partner for the GrandSlam series.

The conclusion of this event marks another year of celebrating DanceSport and a season defined by passion and the sport’s enduring global spirit.

The Magic of Rome: Highlights and Champions of the 2026 WDSF Internazionali di Danza Sportiva