A total of 18 Chinese athletes will participate in all of the 13 diving events at the 31st World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. They have been training in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, since late June.

Judges grade divers' performances based on the details of their moves. In order to refine their work, Chinese athletes took around 100 dives on daily basis during their time in Wuhan.

"Diving is 'ballet in the air,'" the Chinese diving team's managing director Shi Tingmao told China Media Group (CMG). "You have to complete a series of difficult moves in less than two seconds and you must do it in an elegant way. That's why we have been asking our athletes to constantly drive for perfection with their fundamentals and details."

Yang Kuilin from Shandong Sport University and Chen Jia from Chengdu Sport University will pair to participate in the women's 3-meter synchronized event at the Chengdu Universiade. Both haven't competed in any international tournament before and are excited about doing it for the first time in Chengdu.

"It's a great opportunity to be able to fight for the honor for our country at home," Yang and Chen said. "This is our first time to compete in an international contest. We will work hard at the training camp to improve our skills and stamina."

Shi Zhenyu from Wuhan Sports University is 1.82 meters tall, taller than anyone else in the team. He will make his international debut as well in the men's 1-meter springboard event. His height can be both an advantage and a challenge for him. On one hand, a big diver with long limbs looks better in the air; however, Shi also needs to consume more strength than others to complete his moves, especially from the 1-meter springboard.

Shi won the national men's 3-meter springboard gold in 2022. Before that, he spent half a year recovering from injury. Now he is looking forward to showing the best of himself on the international stage.

"I want to surpass myself. I want to compete with myself," Shi told CMG. "I want to do better than my best performance before. All good athletes want to stand on the podium. I share that dream too."

(Cover photo: Chinese divers train for the 31st World University Games that will take place in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. /China Media Group)