Synchro champion Qiu looks to individual title
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China Daily, July 18, 2011
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China's Qiu Bo and Huo Liang compete in the final of the men's 10m synchronized platform at the FINA World Championships at the Oriental Sports Centre in Shanghai on Sunday. Qiu and Huo won the gold. Cui Meng / China Daily |
Gaining his first world title at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai on Sunday with new partner Huo Liang, China's rising diving star, Qiu Bo, is hoping for another victory in the individual event in a week's time.
"I'm really keen for the individual event," said the 18-year-old Qiu. "I'm fully prepared for it."
On the second competition day of the Shanghai worlds, Qiu teamed up with Huo to win the men's 10m synchronized platform gold medal with six successful dives, gaining 480.03 points. Germany's Patrick Hausding and Sascha Klein won the silver with 443.01 points, followed by Oleksandr Gorshkovozov and Oleksandr Bondar of Ukraine with 436.36 points.
Huo is the two-time defending world champion in the men's 10m synchro with usual partner Lin Yue, who was forced to skip the Shanghai worlds due to an injury.
Another Chinese pair Zhang Yanquan and Cao Yuan also had to miss the Shanghai worlds through injury.
"It's not easy to win the title for three successive times. It's a return for all my hard training over these years," said Huo, also the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medalist in the event.
"Winning in my hometown Shanghai is also very special for me."
Although this is his third world championships, it is the first time Qiu has won a world championship title.
"It's my first world championship title, so I'm really excited and happy about it," said Qiu, who claimed a silver in the men's 10m platform individual event at the last World Championships in Rome two years ago. "It's also the first title with Huo, so I feel very good about that too," he added.
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