Here's some names to keep an eye out for that will put the "sprung" in the Schwimm- and Sprung Halle im Europasportpark for the FINA Diving World Cup. Over the four coming days the German capital city of Berlin welcomes the world's best for the year's final global diving event.
INTERNATIONAL STARS
Zongyuan Wang – China
Chinese Wang Zongyuan picked up diving at the age of six. By now, still only 20 years old, he has evolved into one of the best divers in the world.
At his FINA World Championships debut in Gwangju (KOR) 2019, he immediately won gold from the 1m springboard. Then at last year’s Tokyo 2020 Games, he became the Olympic champion in the 3m-synchronized event and added another silver medal in the individual event.
At this year’s FINA World Championships, Wang was the most successful diver of all in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, winning three golds from 1m, 3m and in the 3m synchronized event. He is now one of only two athletes to win the world title from 1m more than once, and his career has only just started.
Pandelela Pamg – Malaysia
Already as a youngster, Pamg’s talent for diving was obvious, making her Olympic debut in Beijing 2008 Games at the age of 15. At the London 2012 Olympics, she then achieved a historic feat: She became the first woman from Malaysia to win an Olympic medal with a bronze from 10m, which was also the first ever Olympic medal for the country in a sport other than badminton.
Four years later, Pamg even won Olympic silver in the 10m synchronized event alongside Cheong Jun Hoong. So far, the 29-year-old has won seven medals at the FINA World Championships.
Shixin Li – Australia
Twice, in 2011 and then again in 2013, Shixin Li earned the distinction of FINA World Champion from 1m, making him one of only two athletes to win the world title in this discipline more than once. At that time, he was still competing for China, but for three years now he has been wearing Australia's colours.
For his new home country, he competed at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo (JPN). He had already quit in 2014 and actually only wanted to work as a trainer in Australia before his career took off once again. This summer, he added to his medal collection at the FINA World Championships in Budapest (HUN). Eleven years after his first FINA World Championship medal, the 34-year-old won bronze at the event again.
NATIONAL STARS
Timo Barthel – Germany
Timo Barthel is afraid of heights, but that hasn’t prevented him from being one of Europe’s leading divers not only from the 10m platform. At this year’s European Championships in Rome (ITA), he won the bronze medal in the 10m synchronized event along with Jaden Eikermann.
But Barthel is also successful from the 3m springboard, winning bronze at the past FINA World Championships in Budapest (HUN) in the synchronized competition with Lars Rüdiger. On Instagram, the 26-year-old is a diving influencer who loves to promote his sport and is well-connected worldwide.
Lou Massenberg – Germany
The 22-year-old has long been a constant, especially in synchronized diving competitions. At this year's European Championships in Rome (ITA), Lou Massenberg again won the 3m synchronized mixed together with Tina Punzel, four years after they first won the European title in 2018. With their silver medals in 2019 and 2021 and a bronze in 2017, all five German medals in the history of this discipline belong to just one pair.
In 2019, Massenberg and Punzel also won bronze at the FINA World Championships in Gwangju (KOR). That same year, Massenberg was the European champion in the team event. At the FINA Diving World Cup in Berlin, Massenberg has a home advantage, as the competition is held at his daily training facility.
Jette Müller – Germany
Size doesn’t matter, as Jette Müller has proven repeatedly. With just 1.58m, the 19-year-old is one of the smallest divers in the German team, yet she won two gold medals at last year’s FINA World Junior Championships in Kyiv (UKR) from both 1m and 3m.
This year, Müller managed to qualify for the FINA World Championships in Budapest (HUN) and the European Championships in Rome (ITA), where at the latter she placed 4th from 3m. She is also the current German champion from 1m and 3m. Personally, she thinks that her small size is even an advantage, as it allows her to get her feet up in the air faster than other divers.