Chinese divers make a splash at world championships
Lian Junjie and Yang Hao won their third straight world title in synchronised 10-metre platform diving at the World Aquatics Championships on Thursday, while twins Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi triumphed in the duet free routine of artistic swimming. With the Paris Olympics only five months away, it was impossible not to look ahead a bit, Wang Liuyi said. “I can’t deny that we are already thinking of the gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games," she said. “A journalist showed me the 2024 Olympic Games gold medal and it is really beautiful. I want to make it mine.” Lian and Yang gave China's powerhouse diving team its seventh gold medal in 10 events at the Hamad Aquatic Centre. They led after all six rounds to finish with 470.76 points. With everyone else basically diving for second, Tom Daley and Noah Williams of Britain claimed the silver with 422.37. The bronze went to Oleksii Sereda and Kirill Boliukh of Ukraine at 406.47. Lian and Yang sealed the victory with their highest-scoring dive of the competition in the final round. Spinning in perfect sync on a forward 4½ somersaults in the tuck position, they barely made a splash as they sliced through the water in tandem. The duo received a pair of 10s and nothing lower than a 9.0 from the judges. The 27-year-old Wang sisters earned gold at the Aspire Dome with 250.7729 points, edging another set of twins, Bregje and Noortje de Brouwer of the Netherlands, at 250.4979. The bronze went to Britain's Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe with 247.2626. The Chinese stars have each won four gold medals in Doha. They also paired up to claim the top spot in duet technical routine, and were both members of the Chinese squad that claimed gold in team acrobatic and team technical. Overall, China has 12 gold medals in 24 events through the first week of the 17-day championships, the first to be held in the Middle East. (AP)