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China wins 1st gold medal of world championships

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China's gold rush at the 14th FINA World Championships started by Wu Minxia and He Zi on Saturday as they claimed the first gold of the worlds by winning the women's three-meter springboard.

Wu Minxia (up) and He Zi of China compete in the final of the women's 3m synchronized springboard diving event at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai, east China, July 16, 2011. [Xinhua]

For the hosts who expect a clean sweep in diving at the worlds, the victory of Wu and He is a good start.

Cheered on by an emotional capacity crowd, the 25-year-old Wu and 20-year-old He, who finished first in the preliminary earlier Saturday, showed their dominance in the final, as they executed five near perfect dives to pocket 356.40 points for the gold medal.

The silver medal went to Emilie Heymans and Jennifer Abel of Canada at 313.50 while the bronze medal was taken by Anabelle Smith and Sharleen Stratton of Australia at 306.90.

Since the 2001 World Championships, China has never lost the 3m springboard synchro gold at the worlds.

The pair seemed very happy after their last dive and hugged each other beside the pool.

"I think we performed pretty well today," said Wu, two-time Olympic champion in the event. "We encourged each other a lot, and it's very important for winning the title."

"He Zi competed with injury, it's very difficult for her. Finally we beat all the rivals for the title, it's a test for us and we made it. We are the best."

"I felt much better," said He, the 1m springboard winner at 2007 Melbourne worlds. "We have been a pair for about a year and I think our synchronization goes better and better."

Wu, who claimed four world championships and two Olympic titles with Guo Jingjing in the 3m springboard synchronized, paired up with He since 2010 Diving World Cup. And the new pair has been successful in both skills and synchronization as they claimed four titles in the event consecutively from the FINA World Diving Series in 2011.

Wu Minxia (3rd R) and He Zi (4th R) of China, Emilie Heymans (2nd L) and Jennifer Abel (1st L) of Canada, Anabelle Smith (2nd R) and Sharleen Stratton (1st R) of Australia pose for a group photo at the awarding ceremony of the women's 3m synchronized springboard diving event at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai, east China, July 16, 2011. [Xinhua]

After Guo's retirement, Wu has been expected to become the new diving queen in China, however the veteran said the most important was to be herself.

"I didn't think too much about the diving queen or leader in the team," said Wu, who also won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics 3m springboard. "I will do my best to achieve better results. I hope I can do a good job at London Olympics."

"I know that after Guo Jingjing's leave, I am the oldest girl in the team," she said. "And I will do better to be like a big sister to help my younger teammates."

As to the team manager Zhou Jihong, the gold medal was quite natural.

"To win the gold medal is no surprise to me," said Zhou. "But He Zi is still recovering from her injury and I'm touched by her spirit."

The silver medallists were very satisfied with their result.

"We've been paired up for over a year," said Heymans. "We synchronized well today. I really enjoy this match and we are full of energy today."

"We feel very happy and very excited," said the bronze medallist Stratton. "It has been the best match for us. And we like the outdoor pool very much."

China's young divers are also on track for the men's 1m springboard gold as Li Shixin and He Min placed one-two finish in the preliminary Saturday afternoon.

Li, 23, topped the preliminary with 438.00 points, while 19-year-old He trailed in 432.95. Spanish Javier Illana Garcia was the third with 408.45.

"It's my first time to take part in world championships, but I have earned lot of experiences. My coach has warned me about some potential situations, so I believe I can handle all the problems," said Li.

The men's 1m springboard title at the Rome worlds was taken by Chinese Qin Kai, and Li and He will try their best to continue the glory on Monday.

"I don't want to think about the finals," said Li. "It changes all the time. I will try my best and hope I can grow up through the competition. I felt a little bit nervous in my first international competition. My coach has told me about all the situations that might happen in the match, so I am ready."

"I made a mistake in my third dive but I don't need to make special adjustment. I might read magazine or listen to the music for relaxation," he added.

It's also the first worlds for Asian Games champion He. "I performed to my right level," he said. "I feel a little nervous competing in such a great championships but I think my metality is as good as when I compete in other competitions."

Tomorrow will feature the men's 10m platform synchronized diving preliminary and final as well as the preliminary of the women's 1m springboard.