China’s Chen Yiwen clinched the women’s 3m springboard gold, while Yang Hao dominated the men’s 10m platform on Sunday, bringing China’s gold medal haul to eight at the World Aquatics World Cup Berlin Super Final.
Two-time world champion Chen Yiwen narrowly clinched victory with 344.15 points, a slim margin of 1.55 points ahead of Japanese diver Sayaka Mikami. Not far behind was Chang Yani, the 2023 worlds silver medalist, who finished third, 25.65 points behind her compatriot.
Approaching her final dive, Chen was acutely aware that Mikami trailed by less than 10 points. “I thought 10 points were not that close,” the 24-year-old said. “I missed a lot of details of my dives. It’s not supposed to be like this. I’m happy with the result, but maybe I should have done it better.”
Reflecting further on her season, she stated, “I had my best dives this season in Montreal. From Fukuoka to Berlin, I was like going down a little bit. I hope to deliver the best of myself at the Paris Olympics.”
Pamela Ware, the 2023 World Championships bronze medalist, finished in fourth place, a mere 7.45 points away from a podium position. The 30-year-old Canadian’s aspirations were hampered by her first dive, which fetched her only 54 points.
In the men’s 10m event, Yang Hao, a three-time world championships medalist, showcased his prowess, consistently leading through all six dives and finishing with 537.25 points. Oleksii Sereda of Ukraine, at just 17, clinched second place, making him the youngest in the field. Noah Williams of Britain secured third, while Cassiel Rousseau of Australia, the recent world champion, placed sixth.
Yang commented on his win and previous loss in Fukuoka, saying, “In diving, the only opponent is ourselves. We hope that all of us will dive the best of ourselves.” After their impressive medal haul, Chinese divers did not partake in the mixed team event. This left Canada, Australia, and Britain to secure their spots on the podium.—APP
