WUHAN, June 9 (Xinhua) -- China continued its winning streak at the FINA Diving World Cup here on Saturday, as Olympic and World Champion Shi Tingmao took gold in the women's 3m springboard and the pair of Wang Han and Li Zheng were victorious in the mixed 3m springboard.
The women's 3m springboard turned into a battle between China's two star divers, with defending champion Shi claiming the title with 404.70 points, beating Wang Han into second place with 383.56. Pamela Ware of Canada finished third with 348.75 points.
"It was very close to the winning scores I received at the Rio Olympic Games," said Shi. "But I did not perform to my best as I felt a little bit tired during the last two dives. I will gear up for tomorrow's synchro and try to retain the title for China."
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Ware's bronze medal was her first World Cup podium placing since 2013.
"I am happy I am back! I won a bronze medal at the worlds in 2013 and I kept training and fighting," said the Australian. "I felt great during the day. I flew high and stayed smooth during the semifinals and final. I improved on my first 205B dive and that was a key aspect of my medal."
Meanwhile, Wang Han had a punishing schedule with three competitions in one day. Wang and her partner Li Zheng had won gold at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, and dominated the mixed 3m springboard synchro with 337.95 points. Elena Bertocchi and Maicol Verzotto of Italy took the silver medals with 303.90 points, with Grace Reid and Ross Haslam of Great Britain third with 302.64.
"I had competed in several World Championships, but it was my first time competing at the World Cup," said Wang. "I felt excited to dive in front of the local fans. I had three competitions within one day, and it was a big challenge. I am happy I tried my best."
China has so far swept the boards at the World Cup, having won all nine gold medals to have been awarded so far. The tournament concludes after the men's 10m platform and women's 3m springboard synchro finals.
