China strike gold again in mixed 3m synchro
BUDAPEST: Li Zheng and Wang Han held off Britain’s Grace Reid and Tom Daley to earn China’s eighth diving gold of the world aquatics championships in Saturday’s mixed 3m synchro springboard final.
China’s Li, who turned 17 in May, and Wang took gold with 323.70 points after a battle with the British pair who led after the first and third rounds, but settled for silver with 308.04.
“We never expected to get silver and it was a great way to start the day,” said Daley, who last year won European gold alongside Reid.
Canada’s duo Jennifer Abel and Francois Imbeau-Dulac took bronze with 297.72.
Chinese divers finished up winning eight of the 13 diving events in Budapest.
Wang is nine years older than her teenage partner and said she had used her experience to help him adapt to diving on the world stage.
But Li was rather subdued after his first major title.
“It’s just like any other competition, only more exciting, and I hope I will have many more ahead of me,” said the 17-yearold.
Wang, 26, who defended the world title she won two years ago with a different partner, and Li were only joint-fourth after the first round.
However, their near-immaculate dives saw them lead after each of the last three rounds and claim victory in the fifth with two half somersaults and a twist pike.
Daley, 23, hugged the sobbing Reid when their final dive, a three-and-a-half somersaults pike, gave them silver ahead of Canada.
“We just went into it to have fun, so to get the silver medal was above and beyond our expectations,” admitted Reid, who finished fourth on her worlds debut in the women’s 3m springboard final on Friday.
“I only had a few hours sleep as I was still on a high from last night.” - AFP