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E-mail Xinhua, April 21, 2024
Wang Zongyuan and Chen Yiwen added two more meaningful victories for China on the second day of the 2024 World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final on Saturday.
Chen led all the way through five dives to top the women's 3m springboard with a winning total of 376.05 points. Chiara Pellacani of Italy celebrated her first individual medal at a World Cup with a strong finish to second place in 301.95, while Maddison Keeney of Australia faded in her last two dives and finished third in 291.15.
"That's the end of the World Cups and the last big event before the Paris Olympic Games. I should do better today and need to improve myself in training. I also hope my gold medal can bring good luck to my synchro partner and my best friend Chang Yani, who got injured before the Super Final. I hope we can compete and perform our best in Paris," Chen said.
Top ranked Wang Zongyuan, who has kept an unbeaten streak since the Tokyo Olympics, was below-par in his third dive for a poor 60.45. However, he managed to come back in the following two dives and claimed a day-high 102.60 in his last dive to nail down the men's 3m springboard victory with 525.00.
"Maybe I was a little bit tired and lost concentration for a while. It was the full-house crowds who boosted my fighting spirit and brave heart to cool myself down in the following rounds. It is a hard battle and a meaningful lesson that I learned how to deal with the difficulties during the competition, just before the Paris Olympics," said 22-year-old Wang.
"My parents come to watch my competition today. They give me a lot of courage and support, so I put my gold medal on my father's neck and the mascot Tang Niu for my mother," Wang said.
Osmar Olivera Ibarra of Mexico showed his trademark dives in his last two attempts and surged to the silver medal in 476.55. Jack Laugher from Britain, who had held second place for five rounds, had to concede to a bronze medal with 472.85 after a disappointing final dive.
China has so far collected six gold medals with Australia having taken one after two days of competition at the World Cup Super Final. The women's and men's 10m platform will take place on Sunday.
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