DWS 2016, Windsor: Three more wins for China in grand style

Three more finals and three more gold medals for China in the 2016 FINA/NVC Diving World Series, this time on Day 2 of the third leg of the circuit, staged in Windsor (CAN). In the women’s 10m platform, men’s 3m springboard and mixed 10m platform synchro, the Chinese divers were once more invincible and controlled each of their respective events. Canada had also a good session, with three medals, while Great Britain and Australia were the two other nations with podium appearances today.  

But if one moment had to be highlighted, it would certainly be the victory in the women’s 10m platform. In the first final of the day, Ren Qian (CHN, 15 years old) was simply amazing, presenting a superb programme, highlighted by six perfect 10s from the judges. Her weakest combination was the armstand dive (back 2 somersaults 1 ½ twists), where she got marks between 8.0 (only once) and 9.0. Otherwise, it was a festival of rip entries and 9.0, 9.5 and 10s across the board, awarding the best technical level so far here in Windsor. Her control of the final was impressive: after the first dive, she was already in the lead by 7.5 points; then, consecutively by 20 points, 42 points, 52 points, and 67 points, for an accumulated total of 445.25. This phenomenal score was the second-highest ever in this event, only behind diving superstar Chen Ruolin (CHN), who won with a score of 456.40 in Nanjing in 2008.

In 2016, previous wins in this event went to Si Yajie (CHN) in Beijing and Liu Huixia (CHN) in Dubai. Therefore, also for the first time in World Series history, we have three different women’s 10m winners in the first three meets of a single season.

Behind Ren Qian (silver medallist at the Kazan 2015 Worlds), the opposition came from the two Canadians qualified for the final: Roseline Filion and Meaghan Benfeito. Filion, with two very good fourth and fifth dives, managed to earn silver in 378.85, while Benfeito was less solid in the final of her effort and got the bronze in 372.70. The two Canadians gave their nation its 16th and 17th medal in this event, second best behind China (68). Also for the first time, Canada had two participants on the same podium in a World Series event.

Asked at the end of her performance if she considers herself the woman to beat at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Ren was cautious: “I am not sure, everything can happen there. The only thing I know is that I want to do my best in Brazil!”

At the 2015 Worlds rendezvous, last summer in Kazan, she only lost to a surprising Kuk Hyang Kim, who gave the first gold ever in the history of FINA’s major event (all sports included) to her nation (DPR Korea).

About her final in Windsor, namely the perfection of her dives and entry in the water, Ren explains: “It’s a question of training, of repeating endlessly the same movements and positions”. On her (perfectible) armstand: “Well, there is always a point when divers get to be a bit tired during a final. That was my moment”.   

Men’s 3m springboard
In the men’s 3m springboard, the suspense lasted until the end of the fourth dive. At that time, Cao Yuan (CHN) was leading (353.35), Jack Laugher (GBR) was second (352.20) and He Chao (CHN) was third (351.85). Then came round 5 and the British diver badly performed the 109C (forward 4 ½ somersaults in the tuck position), missing his entry and only getting 51.30 from the judges. It was the end of a medal hope for Laugher, third in this event at the Kazan 2015 FINA World Championships. Cao and He took the lead and finishing with two solid 109C (93.10 for He and 95.00 for Cao), they achieved the one-two for China, in 540.15 and 534.95 respectively. “I will watch the videos of my dives to identify my weaknesses and keep improving myself. I will also watch videos of my competitors. I can always learn from them as well", confessed the winner.

Cao Yuan takes his third gold medal in this event, all gathered this year. Only He Chong (CHN, 13) and Qin Kai (CHN, 11) have more in this event at the World Series. Next week in Kazan, Cao could become the first ever diver with four individual springboard wins in the first four meets of a season. He Chao was the 2015 world champion in this event and was the “FINA Best Male Diver of the Year”. At the award ceremony in Budapest (HUN) in the end of January, he impressed the guests by showing his incredible talent also as… piano player!

The bronze went to Illya Kvasha (UKR), who was extremely regular throughout the entire final and could benefit from an eventual mistake from his main contenders. The Ukrainian star was without a medal in this event since the inaugural Windsor meet in 2014, when he took bronze. Kvasha owns now seven total medals, including two gold, claimed in Dubai and Edinburgh in 2013.

Mixed 10m platform synchro
Closing the session, the mixed 10m platform synchro event was perhaps the most thrilling one of the day. At the end of round 4, the Chinese team, in the lead until then, encounters a serious problem in its 407C (inward 3 ½ somersaults, in the tuck position), with the female competitor Chang Yani badly missing her dive. This allows Canada to take the lead before the fifth and last round, but once more Chinese athletes controlled their nerves and perfectly executed their final combination, a back 2 ½ somersaults 1 ½ twists, in the pike position – the same dive as the Canadians. The Asian powerhouse got 82.56 for this effort, while the North Americans scored 68.16. This difference was crucial for the final outcome, with China getting its 27th gold so far in 2016 in 337.86, against 333.60 for Canada (Meaghan Benfeito/Vincent Riendeau). Tai Xiaohu/Chang Yani are the first ever pair in any mixed event at the World Series to claim three consecutive gold medals. Tai now has seven golds in mixed events, no other mixed diver has more than four in this competition. The bronze went to Australia’s Melissa Wu/Domonic Bedggood in 316.14.

“Diving with a men pushes me to get better and I feel very confident when I am diving alongside my synchro partner”, considered Chang Yani.