Gold medalist Quan Hongchan (right) and silver medalist Chen Yuxi pose during the medal ceremony for the women's 10m platform diving event during the 2024 World Aquatics Championships at Hamad Aquatics Centre in Doha on Monday. [Photo/AFP]
DOHA, Qatar — On a golden day for China, reigning Olympic champion Quan Hongchan gave herself a huge boost before heading to the Paris Games by winning the 10-meter platform competition at the World Aquatics Championships on Monday.
The 16-year-old Chinese star edged teammate Chen Yuxi, totaling 436.25 points over five dives. Chen, the two-time reigning world champion, settled for a silver this time with 427.80.
No one else was even close to the Chinese duo. Britain's Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix grabbed the final spot on the podium with 377.10 for the bronze.
China dominated day four of the world championships in Doha, with the diving triumph augmented by a pair of victories in artistic swimming.
After dominating the "big tower" over the last three years, Quan and Chen are overwhelming favorites to battle for gold in Paris.
Quan edged Chen for the top spot at the Tokyo Games in 2021, while their positions were reversed at the 2022 worlds in Budapest and again at the 2023 championships in Fukuoka.
Now, it's Quan back on top.
With the Olympics just five months away, China, which sent a scaled-back team to Doha, has won three of the first six events. The other golds have been shared among Britain, Australia and Mexico.
On Monday, China finished on top in both artistic swimming events, as well.
Twins Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi won the women's duet technical routine, while Yang Shuncheng took gold in men's solo technical.
The 27-year-old sisters received 266.0484 points. Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe gave Team GB its best showing ever at the worlds, capturing the silver with marks of 259.5601.
The country's only other medal in artistic swimming was Shortman's solo free bronze at last summer's championships in Fukuoka.
Twin sisters Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi of China compete to win the women's duet technical event in artistic swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar on Monday. The 27-year-old sisters scored 266.0484 points. Britons Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe took silver with 259.5601 and Spaniards Alisa Ozhogina and Iris Tio Casas repeated last year's bronze with 258.0333 points. [Photo/Xinhua]
Spain's Alisa Ozhogina Ozhogin and Iris Tio Casa grabbed bronze at 258.0333, repeating their finish from 2023.
The Wangs were back on top in the duet technical, after a disappointing fourth-place showing at Fukuoka. They had previously won the event at the 2022 worlds in Budapest.
The siblings have combined for eight gold medals over their world championship careers, including two in Doha. They were part of the winning group in the team acrobatic event on Sunday.
Accompanied by traditional Chinese music, the twins showcased a performance themed "Lotus," blending softness with strength, to earn a remarkable score.
"We want to incorporate Chinese elements, which is quite different from the styles of most teams. We are delighted that our performance has been recognized," said Qianyi, the younger sister.
The twins' lack of exuberance while awaiting the judges' scores left the audience wondering whether there had been some unforeseen mistakes during their performance.
"We are well aware of our performance and are satisfied with it. The reason you might not see us overly excited is because we are already composed for the result," explained Qianyi.
Throughout this Olympic cycle, the 27-year-old sisters have juggled both duet and team events. They are set to participate in the duet free and team technical events in Doha.
However, with the Paris Olympics on the horizon, the twins are eyeing their primary goal.
"Every athlete hopes their efforts will result in the best rewards. We aspire to stand on top of the podium and realize our dreams," said Liuyi.
Italy's Linda Cerruti and Lucrezia Ruggiero, who captured the silver in Fukuoka, initially finished ninth, but were bumped up to sixth with a revised score after a successful protest. The reigning world champions from Japan did not compete.
The 16-year-old Yang earned gold with the final swim of the men's event, totaling 246.4766 points. He edged Italy's Giorgio Minisini (245.3166), with the bronze going to Colombia's Gustavo Sanchez (231.0000).
Artistic swimming is split into 11 medal events at the world championships. There are only two events on the Olympic program, duet and team.
Men have competed in artistic swimming at the world championships since 2015, when the sport was still known as synchronized swimming. Paris 2024 will be the first time they are eligible to compete at the Olympics.
