PARIS — China’s Wang Zongyuan and Lengthy Daoyi retained China’s males’s synchronized 3-meter springboard title on the Paris Olympics on Friday, claiming the nation’s fourth gold within the sport and conserving alive their aim of taking high finishes in all eight diving occasions on the 2024 Video games.
Mexico’s Juan Celaya and Osmar Olvera took silver and Anthony Harding and Jack Laugher from Britain gained the bronze.
The Chinese language pair recovered from two problematic dives to agency up the lead with close to perfection within the final routine. That they had the very best rating of 95.76 factors within the final dive to complete on 446.10 factors.
“We have by no means had such a passionate, thrilling and tough competitors earlier than. That is our first time dealing with such a problem,” Wang advised reporters.
“We made some errors however I used to be telling him (Lengthy)to seek out himself and simply carry out at his regular ranges, telling him there may be nothing to be afraid of.”
The Mexicans, together with the British, carried out probably the most tough dive in Friday’s competitors – a ahead 2-1/2 somersaults in pike place with three twists.
Celaya and Olvera, who neatly executed their dives, took the lead within the fourth spherical however fell brief of their bid to upset the Chinese language, shedding by a mere 2.07 factors. The silver is Mexico’s first medal in an Olympic males’s synchronized diving occasion since London 2012.
“Now we have one dream, one goal,” Olvera mentioned. “We practically achieved that. We have been very near the Chinese language. In fact they aren’t unbeatable so we’re very, very proud of our outcomes.”
The 22-year-old Wang gained gold within the 3-meter synchronized occasion in Tokyo three years in the past with associate Xie Siyi. He has additionally dominated particular person 3-meter springboard occasions since 2022.
Lengthy, a yr youthful, has gained the world titles within the synchronized occasion since teaming up with Wang in early 2023 however tousled the entry with two of his dives in his Olympic debut.
“Within the first two dives I used to be a bit scared, a bit tight so I made errors,” Lengthy mentioned. “Within the final two dives I used to be additionally a bit nervous.”
Wang and Mexico’s Olvera are set to compete once more within the males’s particular person 3-meter springboard occasion.
Olvera grew to become the primary diver from a rustic aside from China to assert the world title within the 1m springboard occasion in practically 20 years by successful gold in Doha in February.
He’ll search to disclaim Wang high spot after ending second to the Chinese language diver in 4 world sequence occasions this yr.
Britain’s Laugher gained gold within the 3-meter occasion on the Rio Video games in 2016, whereas Harding made his Olympic debut on Friday.
–Reuters, Particular to Discipline Stage Media
