Mexico's Osmar Olvera Ibarra wins men's 3m springboard gold at Singapore Worlds
SINGAPORE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's Osmar Olvera Ibarra clinched his maiden world championship gold in men's 3-meter springboard at the World Aquatics Championships here on Friday, ending China's 11-title winning streak in the event.
Ibarra delivered a consistent and high-quality performance to top a competitive final with 529.55 points. China's Cao Yuan took silver with 522.70 points, while teammate Wang Zongyuan, who had led both the preliminary and semifinal rounds, earned bronze with 515.55.
Ibarra made an impressive start, scoring 91.80 and 89.25 points on his first two dives. Despite slight dips in the next two rounds, the 21-year-old regained momentum in the fifth round with a well-executed 109C, which earned 102.60 points - enough to edge past Cao by 0.55 points. He held his nerve on the final dive to secure the title.
"I feel amazing. It's a dream come true, to be a world champion in this dream year, in an Olympic event. And now I am really happy. I'm really satisfied," said Ibarra. "I got it today, and I'm still working for next year to keep this level, and still fighting with the Chinese divers."
The victory marked the first time since the 2005 Montreal World Championships - when Canadian legend Alexandre Despatie took gold - that a non-Chinese diver has won this event. China had captured the title at every edition since.
Ibarra has won medals in every event he participated in, claiming one gold, three silvers, and one bronze at Singapore Worlds.
Reflecting on the outcome, three-time defending champion Wang said: "The men's 3m springboard is a very competitive field, but this will help me grow and not rest on my laurels. With such a strong slate of competitors, we'll spur one another on and push one another to grow and get better. With strong opponents, we'll only get stronger ourselves."
Earlier in the day, Chinese divers Chen Jia and Chen Yiwen ranked first and second in the women's 3m springboard preliminaries to advance to the semifinals. ■