Roundup: China bags two diving golds, Li Bingjie adds swimming silver at Singapore Worlds
SINGAPORE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China clinched two gold medals in the mixed synchronized 10-meter platform and the men's one-meter springboard events, while Li Bingjie claimed silver in the women's 400-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships here on Sunday.
Paired up just a little more than a month, Zhu Yongxin and 15-year-old Xie Peiling finished atop the podium with 298.86 points in their championship debut, edging DPR Korea duo Choe Wi Hyon and Jo Jin Mi by a razor-thin margin of 0.06 points. Neutral athletes Aleksandr Bondar and Anna Konanykhina claimed bronze.
"This wasn't an easy win; it was a tough battle, and in the end, we won by just a tiny margin," said Zhu. "Looking back, I felt a bit nervous about how close it was. But ultimately, I'm really glad we managed to secure the victory."
In the men's one-meter springboard final, China's Zheng Jiuyuan delivered a consistent and composed performance to take gold with 443.70 points, fending off Mexico's Osmar Olvera Ibarra. China's Yan Siyu earned the bronze.
China's first medal in the swimming pool came courtesy of Li, winning silver in the women's 400-meter freestyle. Canada's Summer McIntosh claimed gold in three minutes 56.26 seconds, American legend Katie Ledecky took bronze in 3:58.49.
Li, 23, clocked 3:58.21, breaking her own Asian record and finishing ahead of Ledecky for the first time in a major international competition.
"I was really surprised - I didn't expect to beat her (Ledecky)," Li said. "Even though she may not be in peak form right now, this victory means a lot to me - it's truly significant."
The youngest swimmer of the tournament, China's 12-year-old Yu Zidi qualified seventh overall for the women's 200-meter individual medley final with a time of two minutes 10.22 seconds.
"I'm really happy. I made the final in my first world championships," Yu said after the race. "That's pretty exciting. I'll keep working hard in the future. I hope this competition helps me break through and really show my true level."
Qin Haiyang topped the men's 100-meter breaststroke semifinals in 58.24 seconds to advance to Monday's final.
Team Australia dominated the 4x100m freestyle relays, claiming gold in both men's and women's events, with their men's quartet setting a new championship record.
Earlier in the day, 30-year-old James Lichtenstein produced a clutch final-round performance to capture gold in the men's 27-meter high diving, earning the United States' first gold in Singapore. ■