(Saint-Denis) One down. Seven to go. China won its first gold medal in diving on Saturday, on the first full day of competition at the Paris Olympics, after a flawless performance by Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen.
China has dominated diving for decades, winning seven of the eight available gold medals in the sport three years ago in Tokyo. But it has never managed to complete a sweep of the events — partly because of the presence of Canadian divers at the time. That goal is within reach this time, however.
The Chinese women climbed to the top step of the podium on Saturday in the synchronized 3m, with a collection of 337.68 points for five dives. They were followed by Americans Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook, at 314.64 points, and Great Britain’s Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen, at 302.28.
PHOTO LEE JIN-MAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani
These same Chinese women had also won gold at the last three editions of the World Aquatics Championships, and were the favourites to win again.
Since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where China won its first gold, Xi Jinping’s country has won 47 of the 64 diving gold medals. This haul includes 23 silver and 10 bronze medals.
If we count since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China has won 27 of the 32 gold medals available at the Olympics.
These numbers were valid before the Paris Olympics. Add another gold medal, and expect that number to climb rapidly as the Olympics progress in diving.
With The Canadian Press