RIO DE JANEIRO – Rut Paez and Yan Xin claimed the first individual junior world championship titles on Monday under a clear sky and gusty winds at the outdoor diving pool at Parque Aquatico Julio Delamare in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In Monday’s first final, on the 1m springboard, 15-year-old Paez of Mexico won the group B title in a contest that combined the first five dive scores from Sunday’s preliminary round with the scores from three dives performed in Monday’s final. Paez began the day with 180.60 points, but only 7.2 points separated the top four so every dive was crucial. After the three-round final, Paez prevailed with 338.00 total points.

Monday’s victory marked Paez’s second gold medal in Rio; she also won the girls’ synchro 10m event one day earlier. In fact, everyone on the girls’ podium became a double medalist. Silver medalist Kayla Jensen had already won gold in the mixed team event one day earlier. Bronze medalist Kseniia Bochek matched the bronze she helped Ukraine earn in the mixed team event on Sunday.

In the next event, the boys 3m springboard final for ages 16-18, China’s Yan Xin prevailed after a long morning that featured nearly 400 dives in the Group A prelims. When the field was cut to 12 boys for the final, the scores from the athletes’ first five dives in prelims would be added to their scores in the five-round final to determine the winner.

In the final, Yan’s first two dives scored 72.00 and 80.60 points, and by the eighth dive, he had already cleared 400 points. His nearest competitor, Cuba’s Frank Rosales Triana, was a gaping 31.40 points behind. When Rosales Triana faltered on his final dive to place fourth, Norway’s Isak Borslien, 18, clinched silver, and Nurqayyum “Yum” Bin Mohamad Nazim earned the bronze for Malaysia.

Below is a more detailed look at the finals, including quotes from the medallists.

Girls’ B – 1m Springboard

Paez was both calm and consistent en route to winning her second gold medal in Rio. The Mexico City- based diver scored 50 points or more in each of her three final dives to beat runner-up Kayla Jensen of the US by 16.20 points.  

Jensen had been in the medal hunt all day, but dropped from third to fourth after her first dive in the final, an inward 1½ with a 2.4 degree of difficulty. She put herself into second place on the next dive and stayed there for the silver medal, earning 321.80 points.

Ukraine’s Bochek began the day ranked fourth and was briefly in second place after her first of three dives on Monday, but eventually placed third, with 319.40 points, edging out fourth-place Chan Tsz Ming of Hong Kong by a slim 2.2 points.

Afterwards, Paez said, “Since the start, I was working a lot to be on the leaderboard.” Even though her third dive was the highest-scoring dive in Monday’s entire final (earning 55.00 points), she felt her first two dives were the best (an inward 1½  and a forward 2½) because she also does them on the 3m board.

Meanwhile, Jensen, 15, said, “I definitely knew I was in contention for the medal but I just wanted to enjoy the experience. Wherever I ended up, I knew I would be really happy with myself if I dove the way I knew I could.”

Still, diving outdoors was a bit new for the tenth grader from Texas who began diving at age 4.

“It was really windy today,” Jensen said, “so you had to monitor it and decide whether to go or to take a second [and wait]. But I really enjoy diving outside. It brings a lot of fun.”

Bochek, the bronze medalist, said, “I expected much-much better, honestly. It wasn’t the best result but I can’t change it now. It would have helped me to stay calm somehow. I was so nervous because the girls are so strong. The competition is so tough. Their dives were really-really great. I could not stop shaking. I tried to stay calm for all of [my dives], but sometimes I can’t do that.”

Boys’ A – 3m Springboard

After a long morning preliminary that featured 38 boys (16-18 years old) performing 10 dives apiece on the 3m springboard, the field was cut to 12 divers and Tim Axer of Germany carried over 198.85 points, the most of all the finalists – but not by much. China’s Yan was only 2.75 points back and lit up the pool in the final.

Yan began by scoring 72.00 points for his inward 2½ to take the lead, then ripped a forward 3½ in the next round that scored 80.60 points to keep him in first place with three dives to go. On his next dive (a relatively easy back 2½) Yan’s entry was a bit banana-shaped, but he was still the only boy to clear 400 points after that eighth round of combined scores. The rest of the scoreboard was shuffling around with abandon. 

By the end of the final, Yan had won his first junior world title at 18 – but China is such a global diving powerhouse with so much depth that it wasn’t clear whether Monday’s victory would have any impact on Yan’s athletic future.

For Borslien of Norway, the surprise silver medal was a breakthrough. At the 2022 junior world championships in Montreal, his best result was 14^th place in both 1m and 10m. He also competed at the last two senior world championships, in 2023 and 2024, but had never made a final.  Monday’s silver wasn’t even a given.

“I kind of failed the second dive,” Borslien said, referring to his back 2½, which scored only 40.50 points. “I was like, ‘Ugh!’ I was disappointed. Then, on the last dive, I was like: I have a little chance [at a medal], but I’m not sure. I landed and I felt good, but then I had to wait all the way to the end [through four more divers] to see the result.”           

Bronze medalist Nurqayyum Nazmi Bin Mohamad Nazim’s name was so long that it didn’t fit on the scoresheet. But the 18-year-old Malaysian said it was okay to call him “Yum” (pronounced YOOM), for short. His best finish at the last junior world championships, in 2022, was 13^th in the boys 3m synchro event in Montreal, Canada. The Rio bronze was his first medal.

What's Up Next

Two more gold medals will be determined on Tuesday: in 1m springboard for girls ages 16-18 (Group A), and in platform for boys who are 14 and 15 (Group B).