PARIS — Yang Hao and Lian Junjie played their part in China’s bid to take all eight diving golds in the 2024 Games by winning the men’s synchronized 10 meter platform event on Monday.
The pair led the event from the first round and finished on 490.35 points, becoming the second Chinese diving pair to top the podium so far at the Paris Olympics.
Tom Daley and Noah Williams of Britain took silver with 463.44 points, followed by Canada’s Ryan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray who won bronze.
Yang, 26, and 23-year-old Lian have dominated the world championships in the last three years in the event but it was their first time to stand on top of the Olympic podium.
The Chinese pair kicked off their routine with a forward dive in pike position and immediately established their lead. Their skill in their last dive and the most difficult routine in their program – the forward four and a half somersault with a near-perfect entry – landed the event’s highest score on Monday, 103.23 points.
“We’ve held our breaths until after the very last dive,” Lian told reporters after the event. “There is after all so much uncertainty in the competition. We couldn’t have been entirely relaxed until the end.”
“When we first saw the draw that the British team would dive right before us, we felt some pressure as they were also an excellent pair, but we did better today and that was how we won,” he said.
Daley fell short of upsetting China’s dream team but he and partner Williams received roaring cheers from the fans, as they witnessed what might have been the 30-year-old five-time Olympian’s last Games performance. Daley has not said what he plans to do after Paris.
“The Chinese did absolutely incredible today. They were on incredible form. Every single one of their dives was flawless,” said Daley of his Chinese opponents.
Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani won China’s first diving gold on Saturday in the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard event.
–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media
