BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Ren Qian and Lian Junjie won the mixed 10-meter synchronized diving title for China to get its first gold medal of the world swimming championships on Saturday.
Ren and Lian, who won all four meets at the Diving World Series this season, produced a near flawless performance to rank first after each of the five dives for a total of 352.98 points.
The 16-year-old Lian became the first man born after Jan. 1, 2000 to win a diving medal at the worlds.
Britain’s Matthew Lee and Lois Toulson took silver with 323.28 points.
“China was far ahead,” Lee said. “They have very good divers. Maybe on one day we will be able to catch them.”
Kim Mi-rae and Hyon Il-myong won bronze for North Korea with 318.12 points.
Russia’s Viktor Minibaev and Yulia Timoshinina were fourth, followed by Canada’s Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Meaghan Benfeito.
At 14, Zsombor-Murray is the youngest competitor in diving at the championships.
“It’s really an honor,” Zsombor-Murray said. “I’m super happy.”
The women’s 1-meter springboard final and men’s 3-meter springboard synchronized final take place later Saturday.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.