Riccardo Cocchi

Riccardo Cocchi was born in Terni, Italy, into a ballroom-dance family. His official site records that he is the son of Italian ballroom coaches and began dancing as a child, specializing early in International Latin. His competitive record spans two distinct eras and partnerships across different governing bodies.

Cocchi's first championship phase came as partner to Joanne Wilkinson, representing Italy in the IDSF/WDSF amateur system. WDSF records document their partnership beginning in September 1999, followed by a rapid rise through international competition: World Cup victories, third place at the 2002 IDSF World Championship Adult Latin in Vienna, second place in 2003 at St. Petersburg, and first place at the IDSF World Championship Adult Latin in Ostrava on 8 October 2005.

After the Wilkinson partnership ended, Cocchi formed a new partnership with Yulia Zagoruychenko in the fall of 2007, representing the United States in the WDC professional system. They won the 2009 World Professional Showdance title and their first WDC World Professional Latin championship in 2010. That victory began a sustained competitive sequence: Cocchi and Zagoruychenko won the WDC World Professional Latin title each year from 2010 through 2019, ten consecutive championships. Their first British Open Professional Latin title at Blackpool came in 2016, followed by three more consecutive wins through 2019, alongside UK, International and U.S. National titles. They secured their ninth WDC world title at Blackpool's Winter Gardens on 18 November 2018 and their tenth and final world championship in Miami on 26 October 2019, after which they retired from competitive championship dancing.

After retirement from competition, Cocchi and Zagoruychenko continued performing, coaching and teaching, including online work through available platforms linked from their official site. Their partnership mastered five International Latin dances—cha-cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive—with consistent competitive and performance presence across the decade. Cocchi's public legacy rests equally on both partnerships: Wilkinson as co-author of the 2005 amateur world title, and Zagoruychenko as co-author of the professional decade.