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Sunday, 19th July 2009 - Newsletter # 333 Diving: Women’s 1m springboard and 10m platform synchro Pakhalina: seventh medal, Malaysia: first podium Since the 1m springboard has been included on “It was very important for me to keep a high the programme of FINA World Championships level of concentration until the end of the in 1991, it has been the most “non-Chinese” programme,” Yulia said. “The 1m is a very after day 2 event of all the diving disciplines: China got delicate event. You can’t even do a slight victories in this event only in 1991 and 1994 mistake if want to win.” After this gold medal, and two years ago in Melbourne. The gold Pakhalina (32 years old) has now 12 awards in Gold Silver Bronze TOTAL TOTAL medals of the other four Championships went to Olympic Games (five medals, including one TOTAL TOTAL Blythe Hartley (CAN) in 2001 and 2005 and gold) and World Championships (seven Irina Lashko in 1998 and 2003. Lashko’s medals, including three titles). Curiously, it was CHN 3 3 3 999 triumphs, moreover, were acquired under her first presence in the podium on the 1m RUS 2 0 0 222 unique circumstances: her first gold was springboard. MEX 1 0 0 111 captured under the Russian flag, the second – USA 0 2 0 222 under the Australian. Pakhalina got her first 1m gold with an ESP 0 1 0 111 outstanding result – 325.05. This was 13.15 AUS 0 0 1 111 Both divers have since retired from diving and ahead of Minxia Wu. Tania Cagnotto, who was CAN 0 0 1 111 MAS 0 0 1 111 the reigning champion from Melbourne – He Zi third in the preliminaries and gave the home TOTAL 666 666 666 181818 (CHN) - also missed the Championships in audience a good performance in the final (she Rome. It was therefore a good moment for the became the only competitor to receive a 10.0 veteran of Russian team - Yulia Pakhalina - to from the judges) moved to fourth place, behind finally make her mark on the 1m springboard. Wang Han – a newcomer from the Chinese team. Pakhalina started well in the preliminaries, and 3.48 ahead of USA) and both girls having left the two time Olympic gold medallist Women’s 10m platform synchro demonstrated excellent quality in the optional Minxia Wu (CHN) in her wake by 23.10 points. dives and an impressive range of difficulty in Both girls have a reputation as “3m queens” - The last final of the day – women’s 10m the free programme. both have their olympic gold in synchro events. platform synchro - brought a victory to Ruolin Both have gained a lot of experience during Chen and Xin Wang (CHN). China has now The silver medallists of 2004 Games, Yulia their long diving lives. So, their fight for the won this event at every World Championships Koltunova and Natalia Goncharova (RUS), individual title over 1m promised to be cruel. since 1991, except for once in 1998 when were happy to make the final, but advanced Olena Zhupina and Svetlana Serbina of Ukraine without big expectations. The girls had been The 1m imposes a lack of space for dives of a defeated China in Perth. having some problems at home connected to a high degree of difficulty, and this was the change in coaching (Koltunova started working reason why no diver could manage to gain The preliminary result of Chen and Wang was in the same diving group as two-time world superiority over the others. The only competitor high enough to show that there is still just one champion Gleb Galperin), which would explain her insufficient performances in both the who could be mentioned in this connection was favourite in the synchro platform competition. Rebecca Ballantree (GBR) – she included a The Canadian pair (Meaghan Benfeito and individual platform competition and synchro. 305C dive (2.5 Reverse Somersaults) into the Roseline Filion - bronze medallists from the After the first (optional) part of the final the programme (DD=3.0) but the preliminary marks 2005 Worlds’) finished the preliminaries in leading group was unsurprising. Chen and were not sufficient to attain a really high result second, but still 24.72 points behind China. And Wang were leading with 112.8; the silver in the group. that event was the type of competition in which Olympic medallists Briony Cole and Melissa Wu (AUS) were in second (106.8). the fight for second is more interesting than for The final started with Pakhalina taking a first: at least six teams might have been able to confident lead. With the second round of dives take this place on the podium. The main surprise came later. It happened in Wu almost made it a tie for the lead (0.30 points the fourth round when Leong Mun Yee and behind), but Pakhalina proceeded to increase The “dark horses” – Leong Mun Yee and Pamg Pamg Pandelela Rinong performed their her lead to 9.15 after third round, an advantage Pandelela Rinong (MAS) - were extremely combination, and with 244.1 points moved to the second position; 1.3 points ahead of she kept until after the fourth dives took place. surprising in this company. Australia, Canada, By that time, it looked as though the two Germany and Russia have much more Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion. Mary leaders were having their own final contest and experience climbing the podium in this event. Beth Dunnichay and Haley Ishimatsu (USA) were unaware to what was going on behind Nevertheless Malaysia delivered the third were also hovering near the top (240.0) as well them. preliminary result (0.6 behind the Canadian duo as Briony Cole and Melissa Wu (237.9). The phantom of the close silver -medal At the top of the medals, Russia - with an even WATER POLO conclusion must play its role in such a final: younger and likewise renewed team - Leong Mun Yee and Pamg Pandelela Rinong (competitors born between 1987 and 1990) Australia and Canada draw on opening day made a slight mistake in the last dive and that managed to get the gold once more (its seventh was enough to make them lose the silver consecutive success since 1998 in this event) Most games went to plan in the women¹s water medal. Meanwhile, the twist combination of the with a programme almost technically perfect polo competition at the FINA World US divers was perfect and the girls scored (the same one they presented in Beijing) for Championships at the Fora Italico today. 84.66 on their last dive to give themselves a which they received marks between 9.8 and Canada and Australia battled out a 6-6 draw in fighting chance for the podium. 9.9). If the “old” team was normally rather “cold” Group C and now need big wins against New while receiving its medals, this young Zealand and South Africa to decide who Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion were generation of athletes could not hide its progresses as the group winner to the quarter- less successful. They finished fourth with 321.3 satisfaction when climbing to the highest level finals. New Zealand leads the group after points – just a heart-breaking 0.3 points less of the podium – something very unusual among eclipsing competition newcomer South Africa than Malaysia team. Russian teams and a mark that this medal was 12-5. perhaps more difficult to obtain than in the past. Group A saw Hungary head off China 10-7 The result of Leong Mun Yee and Pamg while Italy hammered Uzbekistan 20-3. China Pandelela Rinong was thus historical; the first More experienced, but mixing new elements should be one of the favourites here after World Championships medal of this country (in (and containing four new athletes than the team winning gold at the just-completed World any FINA discipline). The difference between that won the silver in Beijing), Spain confirmed Student Games. the second and fifth places was also its status as number 2 in the world by getting United States of America and Russia looked remarkable – 4.8 points. marks ranging from 9.7 and 9.9, for a total of smart in Group B with Russia defeating Greece 97.833 (against Russia’s 98.833). 14-9 and FINA World League champion USA As for the winners, they set a new standard in recovering from a poor start at three goals this discipline by reaching a total score of In the Press Conference after the event, Andrea down to win 19-6 over Kazakhstan. 369.18. The platform synchro women’s result Fuentes from Spain confirmed that the gap Group D gave Olympic champion the had never been so high - neither at a World between her country and Russia is perhaps Netherlands a scare when non-Olympic team Championships nor the Olympics. being reduced: “We know that the Russians are Brazil played without respect to its world very strong technically, but we saw today that ranking. The Dutch came through to win 11-7. we are getting closer. It will be a very Spain also had to work hard for a high-scoring SYNCHRO interesting duel in the free final,” she said. 17-12 margin over Germany. Performing after Russia, Fuentes was asked if The men¹s competition starts tomorrow with the the fact that their rivals did not get any perfect Russia wins, Japan out of the podium main match-ups being Serbia-Spain at 18:20 “10” from the judges had given Spain hope for a and USA-Italy at 21:00.