Chinese diver Chen Yiwen swept the 3-metre springboard final to claim her second title at Paris 2024 after the one she won in synchronised diving with her partner Chang Yani, who surprised everyone by only taking bronze.
The young Mexican Alejandra Estudillo finished sixth, while the Spaniard of Venezuelan origin Valeria Antolino was eighth in a race marked by the unexpected silver of the Australian Maddison Keeney, who snatched second place from the current world champion.
This is the first time that Chinese divers, who have dominated the competition, have not won the gold and silver medals in this event since a Russian diver came second at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Asian country dominance
Although the Chinese victory was never in doubt – with Chen performing imperially from her first dive – the final got off to a surprising start after Chang failed her first dive by not achieving sufficient height. With a rather unvertical entry into the water, the judges gave her a score of 42.00, the worst of the rotation.
“I’m not happy with my performance,” Chang admitted. “I made a mistake in the first dive, it was a problem with my technique. After that mistake I knew I had to do better and give my best in the other rounds. And I did,” added the 22-year-old diver.
Supported by her compatriots cheering her on from the stands at the Olympic Aquatic Centre, the Chinese diver then began a powerful comeback that led her to face the final rotation from third place, competing for silver with Keeney.
But the Australian withstood the pressure and finished the competition with the best of her five jumps, taking the second step of the podium with a total of 343.10 points, compared to 318.75 for Chang and 376.00 for the winner Chen, whose triumph was never in danger.
A major global power in this sport, China has won gold in all the diving finals held so far in Paris-2024.
The Asian giant, which won 9 of the 13 gold medals at the 2024 Doha World Championships, is equally unchallengeable in this trampoline event, which its divers have won uninterruptedly since the 1988 Seoul Games.
Alegre debut
Mexican Estudillo also improved, after a more discreet start she managed to complete a well-received fourth jump that propelled her from eighth to fifth position, and later finished sixth.
The 19-year-old diver from Chiapas, who only a few months ago learned that she would be competing in her first Games, was very satisfied with a performance that she hopes will be the first step toward achieving her great goal for the future: an Olympic medal.
“I’m living my dream and I’m very happy with where I finished,” she said smiling after the competition.
“I’ve already experienced what the Olympic Games are like,” she explained about this first experience. “So I think my mind is more focused on having that medal, winning it, and obviously I’m going to work very hard,” said this diver who usually prefers platform diving.
Estudillo, who will be 23 years old in Los Angeles 2028, hopes to join the list of medalists in the specialty that has brought Mexico the most Olympic medals.
In Paris-2024, for now, Mexican divers have added the silver of Juan Celaya and Osmar Olvera in the 3m synchronized springboard, in addition to the bronze that the latter, a new jewel of the national diving lineage, achieved on Thursday in the individual event.
The balance could be increased if Randal Willars or Kevin Berlin, who were one step away from the podium in synchronized events, win an individual medal in the 10-meter platform.
The semi-final of this event will be held on Saturday morning, while the final decision for the diving competition in Paris 2024 will start at 3:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. GMT).
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