Shi Tingmao, a top springboard athlete in China, recently won her first individual victory at the World Series. (Photo : www.zimbio.com)
China's springboard delegates snatched three more gold medals on Saturday during the second day of the FINA/NVC Diving Series in Beijing.
The top awards were contributed by Olympic titlist He Chong, world champion Shi Tingmao and He Zi/Chen Aisen.
Shi has grabbed the attention of the participants and judges since the beginning of the game as she took the lead and showed off stunning springboard skills. She was able to beat her teammate He Zi in the women's 3m springboard with a total of 389.60 points.
The gold medal was Shi's first victory as an individual at the World Series.
Meanwhile, He landed on the second spot with 372.90 points and Canada's Pamela Ware on the third with 335.25.
The world champion was able to deliver five clear and solid dives and earned a whopping 80.60 points on her fourth round 170C. She is known for a number of 3m synchro golds with Olympic champion Wu Minxia in various international events.
"My trademark is the entry while I am still weak in some other aspects comparing with the other elite divers. I just performed my best today, better than what I did during training," Shi remarked.
The gold medalist added: "I feel excited on the springboard. I am also more confident than before because I cherish every competition and learn from the competition."
Meanwhile, Beijing Olympic Champion He Chong managed to earn another gold medal for China in the men's 3m springboard final. Though He had encountered some up and downs in his first four dives, he managed to earn 551.50 points, leaving Cao Yuan and Germany's Patrick Hausding behind.
"I feel familiar and great when I compete at the Water Cube. Though I did not have a good winter training session, I gain confidence from today's competition which is really competitive. I think I am getting ready for the World Championships and Olympic qualifier," He enthused.
Competitors Cao and Hausding both enjoyed perfect last dives. While Cao finished with a day-high score of 98.9 for his 109C, the German representative scored a 97.50 for his 5156B.
Hausding shared how we found his last dive a risky one. He said: "It was a brilliant and risky final dive. I took a risk by using 5156B in the final and it was worth it! The total scores are very close to my personal best in the international events. I have competed in three events and got three medals. I am happy."
