China secured the top two spots in the three-meter diving event during an exciting final round on the sixth day of the World Championships. The Chinese women accomplished the same feat yesterday.
Men’s three-meter was the only event today, and Xie Siyi took home the gold medal. Xie entered finals tied for fourth place, and hovered around second and third place until the last round. Xie’s stunning final dive secured the win. He received nines and nine-and-a-half form the judges, totaling 102.6 points.
Cao Yuan was tied with his teammate Xie at the beginning of finals. Like Xie, he was standing in second or third place for most of the meet, ultimately finishing in the silver medal position.
British diver Jack Laugher came in third place due to a heartbreaking finish. He had held the top spot for the entirety of the competition, and was on course to challenge the world record in the event. In the fourth and fifth rounds alone he scored 105 and 102 points, respectively.
On Laugher’s final dive, a back three-and-a-half tuck (207C), he received twos and threes from the judges, only earning him 30 total points. After this dive, he dropped into third place, finishing 40 points behind the Xie.
The Chinese, Americans, and Russian teams have all had two divers in the top twelve. This means they qualify for two spots, the maximum amount per country, in men’s three-meter at the Olympic Games in 2020.
Diving continues tomorrow with women’s three-meter springboard.