Chen Yuxi and Wang Zongyuan Capture Gold Medals at Diving World Cup Super Final
Chinese Olympic champions Chen Yuxi and Wang Zongyuan secured the first two individual gold medals in the newly introduced head-to-head competition format at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final in Beijing on Saturday. In this debut...
TroibNews 
Chinese Olympic champions Chen Yuxi and Wang Zongyuan secured the first two individual gold medals in the newly introduced head-to-head competition format at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final in Beijing on Saturday.
In this debut format, the top 12 divers in individual events are seeded and matched according to their rankings. Each athlete selects three dives to perform, with the lower score from each matchup resulting in elimination. The six remaining divers in the semifinals are split into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the final, where they return to the traditional pace and order of competition.
Top seed Chen clinched the women's 10-meter platform gold medal through consistent performance, finishing with 432.15 points from the heats and semifinals. Her compatriot, Quan Hongchan, scored 57.75 on her 207C dive, accumulating 399.25 points going into the final.
During the final, Chen executed five stable dives to secure victory with 431.25 points, while Quan finished second with 409.80 points after encountering minor mistakes on her 6243D and 207C dives. Mexico's Alejandra Estudillo Torres completed the podium with 332.70 points.
"I have never competed like this before, with three big battles within two days from 10m synchro, mixed team, and individual 10m event," Chen reflected. "I felt faint at the end. It is a huge challenge, and a new lesson for me in dealing with the new competition format, and the issue of how to relax and adjust myself into form in a very short time."
Quan expressed that earning a silver medal was rewarding for her discipline and perseverance during her growth. "The total time of the individual competition was limited to less than one hour, including the head-to-head, semifinals, and final," she noted. "I felt lacking in energy a little bit, as I could hardly climb up to the platform. A silver is good for me because I am still learning how to balance my growing height and weight."
In the men's 3-meter springboard final, Wang, a two-time synchronized champion and two-time silver medalist in individual events from the last two Summer Olympics, won gold with 519.25 points, narrowly defeating compatriot Zheng Jiuyuan, who finished with 505.05 points.
Germany's Moritz Wesemann took third place with 430.45 points, while Colombia's Luis Felipe Uribe Bermudez missed the podium, finishing fourth with 418.20 points.
"The new format pushed us to find our peak form from the very beginning, and I started well in the first two sessions. In fact, I lost some energy in the final, especially on my 207C, which only received 77.40," explained the 23-year-old Wang.
Zheng, 21, celebrated his first performance exceeding 500 points at the world level. "I have never reached 500-plus in competition before. I feel excited, even right now," Zheng said. "The new format gave me more uncertainty and pressure. I laughed at myself for my poor first dive, 407C, with 68 points in the morning."
Chinese divers have dominated the competition, winning all seven gold medals available thus far at the three-day Super Final. The event will conclude on Sunday with the women's 3m springboard and men's 10m platform finals.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this article for TROIB News
In this debut format, the top 12 divers in individual events are seeded and matched according to their rankings. Each athlete selects three dives to perform, with the lower score from each matchup resulting in elimination. The six remaining divers in the semifinals are split into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the final, where they return to the traditional pace and order of competition.
Top seed Chen clinched the women's 10-meter platform gold medal through consistent performance, finishing with 432.15 points from the heats and semifinals. Her compatriot, Quan Hongchan, scored 57.75 on her 207C dive, accumulating 399.25 points going into the final.
During the final, Chen executed five stable dives to secure victory with 431.25 points, while Quan finished second with 409.80 points after encountering minor mistakes on her 6243D and 207C dives. Mexico's Alejandra Estudillo Torres completed the podium with 332.70 points.
"I have never competed like this before, with three big battles within two days from 10m synchro, mixed team, and individual 10m event," Chen reflected. "I felt faint at the end. It is a huge challenge, and a new lesson for me in dealing with the new competition format, and the issue of how to relax and adjust myself into form in a very short time."
Quan expressed that earning a silver medal was rewarding for her discipline and perseverance during her growth. "The total time of the individual competition was limited to less than one hour, including the head-to-head, semifinals, and final," she noted. "I felt lacking in energy a little bit, as I could hardly climb up to the platform. A silver is good for me because I am still learning how to balance my growing height and weight."
In the men's 3-meter springboard final, Wang, a two-time synchronized champion and two-time silver medalist in individual events from the last two Summer Olympics, won gold with 519.25 points, narrowly defeating compatriot Zheng Jiuyuan, who finished with 505.05 points.
Germany's Moritz Wesemann took third place with 430.45 points, while Colombia's Luis Felipe Uribe Bermudez missed the podium, finishing fourth with 418.20 points.
"The new format pushed us to find our peak form from the very beginning, and I started well in the first two sessions. In fact, I lost some energy in the final, especially on my 207C, which only received 77.40," explained the 23-year-old Wang.
Zheng, 21, celebrated his first performance exceeding 500 points at the world level. "I have never reached 500-plus in competition before. I feel excited, even right now," Zheng said. "The new format gave me more uncertainty and pressure. I laughed at myself for my poor first dive, 407C, with 68 points in the morning."
Chinese divers have dominated the competition, winning all seven gold medals available thus far at the three-day Super Final. The event will conclude on Sunday with the women's 3m springboard and men's 10m platform finals.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this article for TROIB News
