Sport | Other Sports
Tiny two bag hosts' third gold
Teenagers Wang Xin and Chen Ruolin gave China their third straight victory in diving, easily winning the women's 10-metre synchronised competition on Tuesday.
- AP
- Published: 23:59 August 12, 2008
- Wang Xin and Chen Ruolin of China compete in the women’s synchronised 10-metre platform diving competition at the National Aquatics Centre at the Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday.
- Image Credit: Reuters
Beijing: Teenagers Wang Xin and Chen Ruolin gave China their third straight victory in diving, easily winning the women's 10-metre synchronised competition on Tuesday.
Chen and Wang totalled 363.54 points in an event China have won since it was introduced at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Australia's Briony Cole and Melissa Wu took the silver at 335.16, while Mexico's Paola Espinosa and Tatiana Ortiz earned the bronze at 330.06.
Americans Mary Beth Dunnichay and Haley Ishimatsu were fifth among eight teams at 309.12.
Birthday gift
The gold medal was a delayed birthday present for Wang, who turned 16 on Monday. Chen is 15. The duo could have more celebrating in store as they are ranked 1-2 on individual platform.
The Chinese also won synchro events in women's 3-metre springboard and men's 10-metre platform. They're hoping to sweep all eight golds in diving, a sport that has produced the country's most Olympic medals.
It was a full house at the Water Cube, with partisan fans waving red flags.
Chen and Wang led through all five rounds, earning a perfect 10 for execution from one judge on their second dive.
It was another disappointing day for the US divers. Dunnichay and Ishimatsu botched their third dive, a forward 3 1/2 somersault pike, that sent them tumbling from fifth to eighth, trailing North Korea's duo.
But the teenagers rallied in the final round, earning mostly 8.0s for a backward 2 1/2 somersault with 1 1/2 twists, to get back to fifth.
Dunnichay is the youngest member of the entire US Olympic team in Beijing, beating by five months.
The US finished fourth in women's 3-metre synchro springboard and fifth in men's 10-metre synchro platform.
The Americans are trying to avoid a second consecutive medals shut out at the Olympics.
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