There’s a new world champion in men’s 1m springboard! On Sunday, Zheng Jiuyuan of China claimed gold over the 2024 champ, Osmar Olvera Ibarra, who rallied back from a 32-point deficit to claim silver. Yan Siyu won an ultra-tight race for bronze.
SINGAPORE – In a suspenseful men’s 1m final on Sunday night, China’s Zheng Jiuyuan, 21, kept the pressure on Mexico’s Osmar Olvera Ibarra, 21, who was trying to defend his 2024 world title.
At the midpoint of the contest, Zheng had built a 30.90-point lead – thanks, in part, to Olvera’s subpar third dive (a reverse 2½ pike in which he took off at a slight angle). Olvera rallied back, but his final dive – the hardest of the contest – a forward 2½ with two twists (with a 3.6 DD), scored only 75.60 points. In the end, Olvera took silver, trailing Zheng by 14.10 points.
Zheng’s victory gave China its third gold medal in four diving events so far in Singapore.
Zheng said afterwards, “I’m very happy because this is my fourth world championships. I’ve been on the podium before but never at the top [in an individual event].
In 2023, Zheng was the bronze medalist on the 1m springboard, then placed 11th the next year in Doha.
“I always had the ability to win gold,” he said. “The problem was always mental in nature. Perhaps I’ve learned to relax a little. I have to give myself credit for persevering and continuing to work hard in this event. I also have to thank the coaches and my family for believing in me.”
Olvera Ibarra said of his silver medal, “It’s still a good result. Obviously, I’m happy, but not too much, because I want to win a gold medal. I am a little frustrated, but I’m happy.”
Bronze medalist Yan Siyu, 23, of China, also suffered a blip in round two (on a back 2½) that put him in sixth place temporarily. Yan eventually claimed the bronze, but only 0.35 points ahead of Great Britain’s Jordan Houlden who finished strong and was, like Yan, seeking his first world championship medal.
Yan was delighted with the bronze. “In this team, getting a chance to even compete is already a rare opportunity,” he said. “If we don’t cherish and value these chances, it would be disappointing. I was especially lucky because on that last dive, it was just a matter of a few points.”
If Yan had been healthier, who knows what might have happened?
“I had a cold for the entire month before coming to Singapore, and I still have it now,” Yan explained. “I had a fever for the past two weeks, and I was sweating every night. I felt weak every day and was dizzy. It’s been difficult. This month has felt longer than a year. Being able to secure this opportunity at the World Championships is incredibly exciting, despite that I was not first place.”
Up Next:
In Monday, two synchro titles will be awarded. First, in men’s 3m synchro, three-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Wang Zongyuan, 23, will team up with Zheng Jiuyuan, 17, to try to earn China’s fifth consecutive world title in the event… but Mexico’s 2024 Olympic silver medalists, Osmar Olvera Ibarra and Juan Manuel Celaya Hernandez won’t make it easy.
Then, at 18:00 Singapore time, China will vie for a 14-peat in women’s 10m synchro. The winner of the past three world championships and two Olympic gold medals, Chen Yuxi, 19, will be paired with Zhang Minjie, 20, this year because her regular partner, Quan Hongchan, is not competing in Singapore