China's Chen Yuxi (R) and Quan Hongchan during the medal ceremony following the women's 10m platform final at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, June 27, 2022. /CFP
The women's 10-meter platform final at this year's FINA World Championships was billed as another blockbuster showdown between two of the most talented female divers on the global stage.
Last summer in Tokyo, China's Quan Hongchan outclassed her compatriot Chen Yuxi to clinch the Olympic 10m gold with a near-perfect score. This time around, however, Chen put on a diving masterclass to outshine Quan, eventually coming out on top during this much-anticipated rematch in Budapest.
Geed up by an increasingly boisterous crowd at the Duna Arena, the reigning world champion and Tokyo synchro Olympic gold medalist dominated the semifinal and all the way in the final to win a stunning 417.25 points for the title on Monday night.
China's Chen Yuxi competes during the women's 10m platform final at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, June 27, 2022. /CFP
The result means Chen became the first diver to successfully defend the women's 10m platform title at the World Championships since diving legend Fu Mingxia achieved the feat in 1994. But the 16-year-old wunderkind refused to get carried away and insisted there is still room for improvement.
"I am not totally satisfied," she told reporters after taking top spot. "I wasn't concentrating on my score; I was concentrating on myself... It is an honor to see this many Chinese fans in the arena, it was a glorious feeling."
Competing in her first World Championships, Quan exuded admirable composure and outscored her experienced teammate Chen on four of the five rounds of dives, but the 15-year-old made a costly mistake in her third dive during which her entry into the water was a little heavy, and ultimately ended up in second place by a slim margin of 0.30 points.
Chen Yuxi celebrates her gold medal win with Chinese fans after the women's 10m platform final at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, June 27, 2022. /CFP
Despite falling short at the final hurdle, Quan remained in good spirits. "I am very happy and proud to be on the podium with my teammate," she beamed. "But next time I'll try to win gold. The fans gave me so much power, I felt the energy coming from the stands!"
It marked the eighth time that China have pocketed both gold and silver in the women's 10m platform event at the World Championships.
2012 Olympic bronze medalist Pandelela Pamg of Malaysia took the bronze with 338.85 points, a whopping 78.1 points behind Quan.