Chinese diving team members. (Photo/Xinhua) |
LONDON, May 1 -- Chinese divers claimed all four of the day's titles at the World Series diving tournament here on Friday.
The women's and men's 3m synchro springboard and women's and men's 10m synchro platform all went China's way just as they had at the three earlier events in the diving World Series in Beijing, Dubai and Kazan, world swimming's governing body Fina's official website reported.
The men's 3m synchro springboard proved to be the most dramatic of the day as Qin Kai and Cao Yuan showed why they have three Olympic titles between building on a slender 1.20 points lead, after round one, to eventually take gold with 447.75 points.
Behind them Ilia Zakharov and Evgeny Kuznetsov of Russia and Patrick Housing and Stephen Feck of Germany were second and third respectively until the end of round three.
Zakharov and Kuznetsov took bronze with 429.21 points.
In the women's 3m synchro springboard, Wu Minxia, 29, and partner, Shi Tingmao, 23, led throughout, finishing with 331.50 points.
Wu, who became the first female diver in history to win gold in the same event at three consecutive Olympic Games when she took gold in the 3m synchro springboard in 2012, is now looking to take part in a fourth Games in Rio next year.
"I am training for that," she said.
Italy's Tania Cagnotto - who has already competed at four Olympic Games - and partner Francesca Dallape dived consistently throughout to take silver with 314.40 points. It was their first medal of the series.
Bronze went to Jennifer Abel and Pamela Ware of Canada with 295.68 points beating the British pair of Rebecca Gallantree and Alicia Blagg by just 0.24 of a point.
Earlier in the day the event had started with victory for China's Chen Ruolin, 22, and Lui Huixia, 17, in the 10m synchro platform. The pair led from first to last dive to win with 332.88 points, nearly 18 points ahead of the Malaysia pair of Jun Hoong Cheong and Mun Yee Leong who took silver with 314.94 points.
In the men's event it was all about the minor medals as Lin Yue, 22, and Chen Aisen led after round one of the six round competition and never looked back.
Undefeated in Beijing, Dubai and Kazan, Lin and Chen made it four wins out of four scoring 474.84 points.
At the start of the sixth round just 0.66 of a point separated Germany's Patrick Hausding and Sascha Klein, in second, from Mexico's German Sanchez and Ivan Garcia.
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