China’s Six-Year Diving Streak Snapped After 37 World Titles in a Row

2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS – DIVING

China’s winning streak in diving events was snapped at 37 world titles in a row on Saturday.

Australia’s Cassiel Rousseau captured gold with 520.85 points in the men’s platform final — the last diving event in Fukuoka — to top the podium ahead of China’s Lian Junjie (512.35) and Yang Hao (504.00). China triumphed in all 12 other diving events in Fukuoka with a double-digit margin of victory in each.

The last person to beat a Chinese diver for the world crown was Britain’s Tom Daley on the men’s platform at the 2017 World Championships. Making Rousseau’s win all the more impressive is the fact that he’s a 22-year-old former acrobatic gymnast who has only been diving seriously for about five years. His grandfather, Michel, was a former Olympic champion cyclist back in 1956.

Meanwhile, Mexico kept its momentum going with silver medals in the men’s 3m springboard and mixed 3m & 10m team events. Osmar Olvera Ibarra took silver in the men’s 3m springboard behind Tokyo Olympic champion Wang Zongyuan after also earning the same medal in the 1m springboard. Mexico didn’t bring home any diving medals last year and had its funding cut this year amid an ongoing dispute between its national federation and World Aquatics, but they finished with more medals (six) than any country besides China this year.

Diving Medal Table, 2023 World Championships

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
China 12 4 3 19
Australia 1 1 2
Mexico 4 2 6
Great Britain 3 3
Ukraine 1 1
Canada 2 2
Italy 2 2
France 1 1
Germany 1 1
Japan 1 1
United States 1 1

In the women’s 3m springboard, 24-year-old Chen Yiwen retained her world title with 3:59.50 points, finishing 1-2 along with her women’s 3m synchronized champion partner, Chang Yani (341.50). Canada’s Pamela Ware rounded out the podium with a score of 332.00 at 30 years old.

Check out more results below:

Mixed 3m Synchro

  1. Zhu Zifeng and Lin Shan (CHN) – 326.10
  2. Maddison Keeney and Domonic Bedggood (AUS) – 3:07.38
  3. Chiara Pellacani and Matteo Santoro (ITA) – 294.12

Men’s 3m Springboard

  1. Wang Zongyuan (CHN) – 538.10
  2. Osmar Olvera Ibarra (MEX) – 5:07.50
  3. Long Daoyi (CHN) – 499.75

Women’s 10m Platform

  1. Chen Yuxi (CHN) – 457.85
  2. Quan Hongchan (CHN) – 445.60
  3. Caeli McKay (CAN) – 340.25

Mixed 3m & 10m Team

  1. Bai Yuming, Zhang Minjie, Zheng Jiuyuan, and Si Yajie (CHN) – 489.65
  2. Gabriela Agundez Garcia, Jahir Ocampo Marroquin, Randal Willars Valdez, and Aranza Vazquez Montano (MEX) – 455.35
  3. Christina Wassen, Moritz Wesemann, Lena Hentschel, and Timo Barthel (GER) – 432.15

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TimOB
1 year ago

Chinese divers showed such poor sportsmanship to Roseau after he beat them in men’s platform. Probably they will never be seen again after that result

Luda
1 year ago

Zhou Jihong couldn’t pay the judges enough to get China on top for this occasion.

Kvasha
Reply to  Luda
1 year ago

All of the gifts she was bringing for the judges got held up on customs

Oceanian
1 year ago

After his Comm Games Gold last year I thought he might develop into a medal hope in Paris24, but didn’t expect success this year.

The final was high quality too with few errors from most of the top finishers.

Joshua Liendo-Edwards-Smith
1 year ago

Lol very unexpected but great for Cassiel!

About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines. A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

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