SAINT-DENIS – With Tom Daley out of the way, China is another step closer to an unprecedented sweep at the Olympic diving pool.
Lian Junjie and Yang Hao breezed to victory in the synchronized 10-meter platform Monday to give the Big Red Machine its second straight gold medal of the Paris Games.
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The three-time reigning world champions finished with a whopping 490.35 points, receiving several perfect 10s from the judges and no marks lower than 8.0. They nailed their final dive, a forward 4 1/2 somersaults in the tuck position, to clinch the top spot on the podium.
Before the final marks were even posted — all 9.0s and 9.5s — the Chinese coaches were hugging and celebrating. Fans waved Chinese flags in the stands at the new Olympic Aquatics Centre, next door to the Stade de France in suburban Saint-Denis.
“Obviously, China dived absolutely incredibly today. They showed incredible form,” said Daley, the five-time British Olympian who won gold in this event at Tokyo but settled for a silver this time around. “Every single one of their dives was flawless.”
Big Red Machine sets a record
China, which has dominated the sport in the post-Greg Louganis era, is trying to become the first country to claim every diving gold medal since synchro was added in 2000, doubling the program from four to eight events.
Since that expansion, China has won 40 of 50 golds, including seven of eight at each of the last two Summer Games.
This was the 49th diving gold medal for China, which the International Olympic Committee said broke a tie with the United States for the most in Olympic history.
Some record books list the U.S. with 49 golds, but the IOC has ruled that a 1904 victory in a one-time event known as plunging for distance is considered part of the swimming program, not diving.
There hasn’t been a diving sweep since the U.S. claimed gold in all four events at the 1952 Helsinki Games.
“I don't think anybody is unbeatable,” Yang insisted. “We need to seize the moment.”
Role reversal for Daley vs Chinese team
In Tokyo three years ago, China's only setback came in the men's 10-meter synchro, when Daley and Matty Lee pulled off the upset for Britain with China taking silver.
This time, the roles were reversed. Daley and new partner Noah Williams settled for a silver at 463.44. The bronze went to Canada's Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray with 422.13, edging out fan favorite Mexico (418.65).
Yang celebrated by donning a pair of sunglasses outlined with the Olympic rings.
“I'm very happy to win this gold medal for China and very happy that we were able to take back this gold medal from Tokyo," he said through a translator. “In terms of our ultimate performance, I don't want to think too much about it. Just put in our best performance and it will be all right in the end.”
Lee wasn't able to compete in Paris after undergoing spinal surgery this year.
Daley's medal haul
The 30-year-old Daley had planned to retire after the Tokyo Games, but a trip to U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs inspired him to return for one more Olympics.
With his husband, Dustin Lance Black, and their two young sons, Robbie and Phoenix, cheering him on from the stands, Daley added to a medal haul that now includes one gold, one silver and three bronzes.
As he received his silver during the victory ceremony, Daley waved and blew kisses toward his family.
“This is the happiest I've been in diving,” Daley said. “Diving is not necessarily my top priority. Of course, it is very important, but nothing is more important than my children and spending time with them.”
Daley could return for 2028
Daley isn't sure what the future holds, but he's not ruling out taking a shot at his sixth Olympics in 2028.
He noted that he now lives in Los Angeles, site of the next Summer Games.
“It would be my second home Olympics Games,” Daley said with a smile, referencing London in 2012. “For now, I just want to enjoy this moment.”
Americans not represented
The U.S. did not qualify for the one of the eight Olympic berths.
This was the only diving event the Americans will miss out on at the Paris Games. They opened with the competition with a silver medal for Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook in the women's synchronized 3-meter springboard on Saturday.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games