In Beijing, Chinese Olympic champions Chen Yuxi and Wang Zongyuan clinched the first two individual gold medals under the new head-to-head format at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final on Saturday.
The debut competition pits the top 12 divers in seeded head-to-head matchups, eliminating the lower scorer in each face-off. Victors advance to semifinals in two trios, with the top two from each group progressing to the final round, where they return to a traditional order and pace.
Top seed Chen dominated the women's 10-meter platform, racking up 432.15 points through the heats and semifinals. Fellow Chinese diver Quan Hongchan entered the final with 399.25 points after a 57.75 on her 207C dive.
In the final, Chen stayed rock-steady with five flawless dives for a winning total of 431.25 points. Quan claimed silver with 409.80 points, despite minor slips on her 6243D and 207C dives. Alejandra Estudillo Torres of Mexico 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 added that her silver medal reflects her discipline and perseverance amid growing pains. "The total time of the individual competition was limited less than one hour, including the head-to-head, semifinals, and final," she said. "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."
On the men's front, Olympic champion Wang Zongyuan navigated his bracket to emerge victorious in the head-to-head duels, securing his gold medal and rounding out a historic opening for the revamped format.
Reference(s):
Chen Yuxi, Wang Zongyuan win golds at Diving World Cup Super Final
cgtn.com
