Xie claims China’s third diving gold

KAZAN, Russia: Teenager Xie Siyi claimed China’s third straight diving gold on Monday as Chinese divers won the men’s 1m springboard title for the fifth world championships running.
The 19-year-old took the title with a total of 485.50pts, beating off a strong challenge from Ukraine’s Illya Kvasha, the 2013 silver medallist in the event, who collected 339.05pts over the six rounds while Mike Hixon of the USA won bronze with 428.30pts.
Kvasha had the consolation of becoming the first non-Chinese diver to claim multiple medals in men’s 1m springboard at world championships.
China have now won all of the men’s 1m springboard titles at the last five world championships — and eight of the last nine.
Having swept up all ten titles on offer when the 2011 world aquatic championships were held in Shanghai, Chinese divers have won all three diving golds up for grabs so far in Kazan.
Wu Minxia and Shi Tingmao won the world 3m women’s synchronised diving gold on Saturday the same day Si Yajie and Tai Xiaohu, both just 17, won the mixed synchro 10-metre title.
Meanwhile, Jordan Wilimovsky of the United States won the men’s 10 kilometre open water gold. He finished in a winning time of 1hr 49min 48.2sec as Dutch swimmer Ferry Weertman took silver, 12.1sec behind, while 35-year-old defending world champion Spyridon Gianniotis of Greece claimed bronze, at 12.5sec.