Chen Yuxi cruised to her fourth world title in women’s 10m on Thursday with a lead so large that she didn’t even need her fifth dive to make the podium. Pauline Pfeif of Germany took a surprise silver.
SINGAPORE – Six Olympians contested the women’s 10m final on Thursday, but the defending world and Olympic champion Quan Hongchan was not among them.
Instead, the heavy favorite was two-time Olympic runner-up and triple world champion Chen Yuxi, 19. By round two, it seemed that Chen’s 15-year-old teammate Xie Peiling would be her greatest challenge when Xie scored 91.20 points for an inward 3½ that included the night’s only perfect 10. But the wheels came off in rounds three and four and Xie was suddenly more than 60 points off the lead.
Chen, meanwhile, was on fire, earning all 9.0s and 9.5s on her last three dives, with only two exceptions, and scored 430.50 for the gold. It was not a personal best, but Chen shed happy tears.
“When I saw the score,” Chen said, “I was in disbelief. It’s not easy to score 430. Before the competition, I didn’t expect to be able to get this score.”
“After the Olympics, I was actually a little shaken,” she explained. “I haven’t been in the best condition after the Olympics, so…winning this event here has really increased my level of confidence. There’s actually still a lot of room for improvement, and I’ll continue to work hard when I get back.”
Germany’s Pauline Pfeif, 23, also finished strong and took a susprise silver with 367.10 points.
“I’m a mess emotionally right now,” Pfeif admitted. “I’ve never dreamed of almost beating China. It’s just amazing. I’m so, so happy. I won’t complain about anything. I’m really happy that I can get Germany a medal.”
Asked how hard she had trained for this moment, Pfeif said, “really hard. My coach has really pushed me, sometimes over the line, but I mean, in the end I have a [expletive] silver medal, so what can I say?”
Xie finished third, with 358.20 points.
“I’m quite satisfied with bronze but the entire process wasn’t really perfect,” Xie said. “I have a few regrets [but] being able to finish on the podium for my country is something to be happy about and proud of.
“I have to improve on my mental strength,” Xie added. “I was a bit nervous – more nervous than when competing in China.”
Trailing Xie by 15 points, in fourth place, was Katelyn Fung of Canada, 21, who was seeking her first senior world championship medal. Australia’s Ellie Cole finished fifth, followed by Jo Jin-Mi, 20, of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Chen’s gold marked China’s eighth victory in 10 diving events so far – with three remaining.
Up Next:
On Friday, Wang Zonguan, 23, is expected to go for an unprecedented four-peat in men’s 3m springboard and give China its 11th consecutive gold medal in the event, a streak that dates back to 2007.