Four Olympic champions Quan Hongchan, Chen Yuxi, Wang Zongyuan from China, and Jack Laugher from Britain will lead a total of 63 divers from 13 nations in the World Aquatics Diving World Cup 2023, taking place in the historic Chinese city of Xi'an from 14-16 April.
There are some things you need to know coming into the World Aquatics Diving World Cup - Xi'an 2023.
1. First top-tier Diving Event of 2023
Xi'an is the first leg of the Diving World Cup in 2023, followed by a second stop in Montreal (CAN) from 5-7 May followed by the Super Final in Berlin (GER) from 4-6 August. It is also the first time Xi'an played as the host for an international diving event since Diving Grand Prix was held here from 2000-2002.
2. Revised World Cup Competition Format
With a new diving competition system put in force during 2023-2024, the World Aquatics Diving World Cup follows a new, simpler competitive format as a Preliminary-to-Final for individual events and a straight-to-final for the synchronised and team events.
3. Three Must-See Events
Women's 10m platform
The 16-year-old Quan Hongchan sets a showdown with her teammate and synchro partner Chen Yuxi in Xi'an. Quan scored 24 perfect marks ouf of 35 posible and took the crown in the Tokyo Olympic Games while Chen then claimed two consecutive victories in World Championships in Budapest and Diving World Cup in Berlin in 2022. 207C, a back 3 ½ will be the vital dive for both of them.
Men's 3m springboard
Wang Zongyuan made the history as he swept three gold medals from one world championship when he wrapped victories in men's 1m, 3m and 3m synchronised in Budapest last year. He later snatched two golds on 3ms in Berlin World Cup. Jack Laugher of Britain, synchro champion in Rio and bronze medalist in the Tokyo Olympic Games and Budapest worlds, will also be the hot contender for the event after his winning performance in Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 2022.
Men's 10m platform
The event is wide open for world runner-up Rikuto Tamai of Japan and world bronze medalist Yang Hao of China while the reigning world champion Yang Jian and Olympic champion Cao Yuan were absent from the Diving World Cup. The 15-year-old Tamai scored a total of 488.00, beating Yang Hao to third place by 2.55 points in Budapest.
4. Four Champion Divers Hail from Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province and also the hometown of four Chinese champion divers, including former Olympic champions Tian Liang in men's 10m (2000, 2004) and Qin Kai in men's 3m synchro (2008, 2012) as well as world champions Si Yajie in women's 10m (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) and Yang Hao in men's 10m (2015, 2017, 2022). Yang will compete in men's 10m platform and team event in front of the home audience.
5. Brief Intro to Xi'an
With a population of 13 million, Xi'an records the great changes in the Chinese nation. Strolling the city reads just like a living history book. It is one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization in the Yellow River Basin area of the country. During 3,100 years of development, 13 dynasties placed their capitals in Xi'an. Xi'an enjoys equal fame with Athens, Cairo, and Rome as one of the four major ancient civilization capitals. The Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses is praised as "the eighth major miracle of the world." The Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is listed on the World Heritage List.
6. About the venue | "Sailing on the Silk Road, Flower of the World"
The Xi 'an Diving World Cup will be held in Xi 'an Olympic Sports Center Swimming and Diving Pool. The venue construction area includes more than 100,000 square meters with a total of 4000 seats. Look for sold-out crowds cheering on the home hero Yang and the rest of the diving field.