China Wins 8th Diving Gold Medal at Worlds

He Chong successfully defended his 3-meter title at the world championships, giving China its eighth gold medal although Qin Kai badly missed a dive that cost the Chinese another likely medal on Friday.

He totaled 554.30 points in the six-dive final, taking the lead in the fifth round when Qin dropped from first to fifth. Qin, the 2007 champion, finished fourth.

Ilya Zakharov of Russia earned the silver with 508.95, and teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov took the bronze with 493.55. American Troy Dumais, the silver medalist two years ago in Rome, was fifth.

Qin botched a forward 4½ somersault, entering the water with his legs severely bent, a sight that drew gasps from the mostly Chinese fans. He received marks ranging from 2.5 to 3.0. Qin stared at the scoreboard with his right hand on his forehead before walking to the shower on deck and burying his face against the panel.

Qin finished strongly, earning marks of 9.0 to 9.5 on his last dive, but the damage was done.

It was the first time in four individual events that the Chinese didn't finish 1-2. Overall, the hosts have won 11 diving medals, and their chance to sweep the gold medals for the first time at worlds remains on track with two events remaining.

He was sixth after three dives, but quickly moved up into the top two before claiming the title.

Zakharov and Kuznetsov earned their second medals of the meet, having teamed to share silver in the 3-meter synchro.

Dumais was second after two dives, but he created a big splash upon entry in the fourth round and couldn't move into medal contention even after Qin's stunning mistake.