CHINA DAILY THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 olympics 3 Chinese on board for plunge at perfection

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China is perfect on the board and the medals podium. Th e world’s diving superpower completed a sweep of the synchronized events at the Olympics on Wednesday, winning the men’s 3m springboard and putting China halfway toward taking all the gold medals. Th e Chinese also won the men’s 10m plat- form and women’s 3m and 10m synchro golds. “I think Chinese divers have done a great job so far,” said through a translator. “We have four golds now and they all came with perfect performances.” Qin and partner led all six rounds of the fi nal, totaling 477.00 points. It was Qin’s second straight springboard CUI MENG / CHINA DAILY synchro title, having won the event four China’s Jiao Liuyang surges toward gold in the women’s 200m butterfl y fi nal at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park on Wednesday. years ago in with a diff erent partner. Th e Chinese won seven of eight gold med- als at their home Olympics. “Our team leaders told us that we were the closest country to win all the medals (in Jiao exorcises runner-up curse Beijing),” Luo said. “Of course, there’s a lot of pressure but they told us to only worry about ourselves. Be ourselves. Don’t worry about the sweep. Showcase the best of China being the runner-up. In Beijing four collected their second gold medals in the water, heading for home, diving to the whole world, that’s what we’ve Known in China for always fi nishing years ago she took silver after Liu in London aft er Franklin won the Gyurta suddenly felt Jamieson surg- got to do.” Zige, who holds the world record of 100 backstroke and Vollmer the 100 ing up on his right shoulder. The Qin pumped his fist as he stepped up second, swimmer wins 200m butterfl y 2:01:81 for the event, got gold. butterfl y. Olympics Aquatics Centre was in to the top spot on the podium. Luo was Liu, who had said aft er the heats In the men’s 200m , a frenzy as the two approached the competing in his fi rst Olympics, although By AGENCIES in London Spain’s Mireia Belmonte, who is that she did not feel in top form, fi n- Daniel Gyurta of set the wall, but Gyurta stretched out fi rst he won a world championship in synchro competing in six events in London, ished eighth. fourth world record of and touched in 2 min, 7.28 sec. springboard last year. China’s Jiao Liuyang stormed held on to take silver and Spain’s fi rst Later on Wednesday, the United the Olympics, needing every bit Th at shaved 0.03 off the previous and of home on the last lap to win the wom- medal of the Games after leading States won the women’s 4x200m of speed to hold off a furious bid mark set by Christian Sprenger of Russia took the silver at 459.63. It was the en’s 200m butterfl y gold medal on with one lap to go. freestyle gold medal aft er a brilliant by home-country favorite Michael at the 2009 World Champi- country’s 100th silver since it resumed com- Wednesday, in the process beating “I feel very content and emotion- anchor leg from . Jamieson, who was seeking Britain’s onships in a now-banned bodysuit. peting at the Olympics as a single nation at the compatriot who al,” said Belmonte. , , fi rst gold in the pool. Jamieson nearly broke the old mark, the 1994 Lillehammer Games. relegated her to silver When asked if she expected to fi n- Shannon Vreeland and Schmitt won Gyurta trailed two-time defend- too, settling for silver in 2:07.43, Zakharov and Kuznetsov stopped during four years ago. ish second, she said: “No! It was very in a combined time of 7 min, 42.92 ing Olympic champion Kosuke Kita- while Ryo Tateishi of took the medalists parade to dip their medals into Jiao was second diffi cult.” sec, ahead of Australia and France. jima midway through the race, but bronze in 2:08.29. the diving well. when she turned for Natsumi Hoshi of Japan took Australia led aft er the second and seized control on the third leg as the “I’ve received so many messages “It’s a Russian tradition,” Zakharov said. home, but surged clear of her rivals bronze. third changeovers but Schmitt, who Japanese star began to fade. Making of support and I was desperate to get “We do that so we’ll get more medals. If you to win in 2 min 04.06 sec, an Olym- Jiao, tears rolling down her face as won the individual 200 freestyle fi nal, the fi nal turn, Gyurta seemed to be on the podium to thank everyone,’’ put your medals in the water, you’ll get more pic record, adding a gold medal to she collected her gold, had a repu- took the lead and surged away to win. in control. Jamieson said. medals out of the water.” the world title she won last year. tation in her homeland for always Schmitt, Franklin and Vollmer all Th en, as he popped up and down REUTERS—AP Kristian Ipsen and Troy Dumais of the US earned the bronze (446.70). It was the first medal of Dumais’ long career in his fourth Olympics, equaling for most appearances by a male US diver. Th e 33-year-old Californian fi nished Lu continues China’s dominance with world record fourth in the event at the 2000 Sydney Games partnering his brother Justin. Th ey missed By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE more distant 349kg (155, 194). out on a medal aft er botching their last dive. in London 2010 World and European cham- Qin and Luo led the second-place Ameri- pion Tigran Martirosyan of Arme- cans by just 7.02 points aft er four dives. Lu Xiaojun bettered his own snatch nia was also a late withdrawal as he But the Chinese hit their toughest dive and total world records in the men’s failed the weigh in. of the fi nal in the fi ft h round. Th ey scored injury-hit -77kg class on the way to And the two more high-profile 104.88 points for a forward 4 1/2 somersault winning China’s fourth pull-outs just added to the excitement tuck, with a 3.8 degree of difficulty. They Olympic weightlift ing at a drama-fi lled competition at the barely made a splash entering the water and gold at the London sell-out 6,000-capacity ExCel Arena. emerged from the pool to see the judges Games on Wednesday. South Korean Sa, defending awarded them scores ranging from 8.5 to 9.5 Lu snatched 175kg, Olympic champion and current for synchronization. 1kg better than his previous mark, world bronze medalist, is not known “I tried to tell my partner to relax and don’t but missed an opportunity to go for his strong snatch section and as be nervous,” Qin said. “In the second half of even better when he ran out of time he crumpled screaming to the fl oor, the competition I had a bellyache because I at his third attempt, at 177kg. stewards immediately covered up was still a little bit nervous.” His best clean and jerk of 204kg the platform. Ipsen and Dumais also went for their hard- left him a combined total of 379kg, Sa suff ered what seemed a nasty est dive — worth a 3.5 degree of diffi culty also beating his previous world injury to his right elbow as his arm — but managed just 84.00 points on mostly record by 1kg. buckled under the falling bar in his scores of 8.0. That allowed the Chinese to Th e total left him a clear winner second attempt at 162kg, and he had increase their lead to 27.90 points going into aft er closest rivals Lu Haojie of Chi- to be helped off by the medical team their fi nal dive. na and South Korean Sa Jaeh-youk present. Qin and Luo got outscored by the Russians both withdrew with arm injuries. And then Lu Haojie failed to reap- in the last round — 100.32 to 89.10 — but Lu Haojie, however, still pear after suffering a wrist injury they proved no threat to China’s superiority. claimed silver with a total of in nailing his fi rst clean and jerk at Zakharov and Kuznetsov, third behind 360kg (170, 190), a massive 19kg 190kg. Pictures showed him in tears YURI CORTEZ / ASSOCIATED PRESS China and the US after the next-to-last adrift . Cuban Ivan Cambar Rodri- in the warm-up area as his coach China’s Lu Xiaojun celebrates with his coach during the men’s -77kg Group A weightlifting event at the ExceL round, rallied for the silver on their forward guez took bronze with an even fl exed his wrist and shook his head. Centre on Wednesday. His compatriot Lu Haojie won silver. 4 1/2 somersault tuck. New rule makes fi rst bolt from blocks a no-no By EDDIE PELLS in London Th e new rule goes on display on ended up winning the race, but the starts, but not against Blake, who The international track federa- Associated Press the sport’s biggest stage on Friday win carried with it a huge asterisk beat Bolt in both the 100 and the tion voted to adopt this dramatic when the women line up for the because the world-record holder 200 that weekend in Kingston. Bolt shift in an attempt to speed up races Warning: At these Olympics, 100m heats. Bolt, seeking back-to- was absent from the fi eld. later conceded he was less than 100 and reduce gamesmanship. When sprinters will get no warnings. back titles in the marquee race of the “I’ve learned not to worry about percent for that race. Either way, the old rule was in eff ect, it wasn’t Under the zero-tolerance false- Olympics, hits the track on Saturday. the start anymore,’’ said Bolt, who his trouble in the starting blocks uncommon for a slower starter to start rule in place for the London “A double-edged sword”, 2004 has always had trouble with the has contributed to paradigm shift intentionally take the fi rst false start Games, a sprinter’s mistimed jump Olympic champion calls start. “I’ve sat down and talked with at this year’s Olympics, and the in an attempt to slow down the rest from the blocks could destroy four the new rule, which took effect in my coach and we have come up questions have persisted about any of the fi eld. years of hard work in an instant. If 2010. “Because some people can take with the conclusion that, back in hangover Bolt — and the sport itself “What is gamesmanship?” that runner happens advantage of it if it’s two or three false the day, I was never a good starter.’’ — might have endured from his said , the retired to be, say, , starts and no one is getting charged. But if Bolt is unworried, it hasn’t DQ in . sprinter who now coaches Tyson it could turn one of At the same time, you can have some- played out that way on the track, “Th at’s awful that our sport’s big- Gay. “They don’t throw people the most anticipated thing like last year with Bolt.’’ where his starts through the spring gest star wasn’t in the fi nal,’’ said US out of the 10,000 because some- moments of the entire Last year was ’s and summer have ranged some- sprinter Allyson Felix. “We just can’t body pushed somebody’s hip. Olympics into one huge downer. worst nightmare. where between cautious to lumber- have that. We’re already a struggling It’s called adrenaline. You have Under the old rule, the entire fi eld In the 100m final at the World ing to abysmal. sport and that’s killing us. For that adrenaline rushing because they was given a warning aft er the fi rst Championships in Daegu, South He clambered out of the blocks reason alone, it shouldn’t be in play.’’ want the gun to fi re. I think it’s DAVID GRAY / REUTERS false start and the disqualifi cations Korea, Bolt burst from the block in all three of his 100m races at the Felix is among critics who won- part of the sport. I think it’s part China’s Luo Yutong (left) and Qin Kai enter began with the second one. Under early. Gone. He ripped his shirt off Jamaican Olympic trials. Against der if offi cials from track’s govern- of the drama. It’s a good thing to the water during the men’s synchronised the new rule, the first person to and skulked to the practice track. most runners, he can make up ing body were trying to solve a talk about. But hopefully we’ll get 3m springboard fi nal at the Aquatics Centre jump is out — no second chances. Fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake the ground he loses with the slow problem that never existed. back to’’ the old rule. on Wednesday.