Chen Yiwen wins women’s 3m, China’s gold No. 7 in Paris

Two-time world champion Chen Yiwen, 25, won the women’s 3m gold medal on Friday with sheer consistency through each of the five rounds. She never dropped out of first place en route to a 376.00-point victory. Chen’s gold gave China its seventh victory in seven diving events in Paris – with one event remaining.

Australia’s Maddison Keeney, 28, took silver handily, never dropping out of second place after each dive. She finished emphatically – nailing the hardest dive of the whole contest in the last round to earn the highest score of the day (78.20) for her forward 2½ with two twists in pike position, which carried a 3.4 degree of difficulty. The silver had been a long-time coming, as Keeney’s last Olympic appearance was in 2016, in Rio, where she placed fifth individually on the 3m springboard.

The story within the story, however, was all about Chang Yani, 22, the reigning world champion. On her first dive, an inward 2½, she entered the water bent at the waist, scoring only 42.00 points, good for last place among the 12 divers, and a full 42.00 points behind her teammate Chen’s lead. But Chang didn’t give up. She rose steadily through each round, placing 11^th, then seventh, then third where she remained for the last two rounds while the rest of the field was, for the most part, receiving scores ranging from 5 to 7 and/or missing dives. In contrast, the three medalists were the only divers to be awarded 8.0 or higher in Friday’s final.

“These girls feel like my sisters," Keeney said, “and I’m really lucky to be able to have a positive competitive relationship with them. It makes it sweeter and a lot more fun to compete against your friends. Being able to share this moment with two close friends, I’m very lucky.”

Chen explained, “Chang Yani properly got to know Maddy first. I only got to know her in 2017, at world championships. It’s been eight years at the international stage. This time, the three of us can actually come on the podium together; the moment is incredible. It is very precious as well, something we need to cherish.”

Chiara Pellacani, 21, of Italy placed fourth, 9.15 points behind Chang. Yasmin Harper, 24, of Great Britain placed fifth (305.10)  and Alejandra Estudillo Torres, 19, of Mexico placed sixth (301.95).

Chen will leave Paris with two gold medals, as she and Chang won the 3m synchro event last Saturday.

The last diving event on the Olympic program: the men’s 10m competition. The semifinal will take place Saturday at 10:00 Paris time. The final begins at 15:00.

“Hopefully men’s 10meter platform can win another gold,” Chang said, to complete China’s 8-for-8 gold-medal diving sweep. “We believe the effort exercised by the Chinese diving team, coupled with practices, can ensure that success. Please believe in us.”