China's Huang Bowen (R) and Liang Chaohui during the men's 3m synchronized springboard final at the World University Games in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, July 31, 2023. /CFP
Team China continued their strong showing on Day 3 of the 31st FISU World University Games, claiming four of the 23 titles on offer on Monday and topping the medal table with 17 golds.
South Korea, with five more golds (two from taekwondo, two from archery and one from judo), overtook Japan to occupy second place on the tally with 13 golds.
Japan, securing two more golds (one each from judo and rhythmic gymnastics), are in third place with 11 golds.
India also netted four more golds (two from archery and two from shooting), maintaining the fourth position with a total of nine golds.
Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar during the men's 10m air rifle final at the World University Games in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, July 31, 2023. /CFP
Indian shooters broke the men's 10m air rifle team world record to secure the gold medal. India amassed 1894.7 points for the title, 7.3 points ahead of the previous world record set by China in 2018.
"I am very happy and proud of winning the gold medal in the World University Games. My efforts paid off," said Indian Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar.
Rhythmic gymnastics awarded six golds, the largest number of the day. Ukraine bagged two of them, while the other four were divided among China, Japan, Hungary and Bulgaria.
China's gymnasts perform during the 5 Hoops final at the World University Games in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, July 31, 2023. /CFP
In the 5 Hoops event, China's team, consisting of Chen Jiaqi, Yan Zhiting, Zhao Hongyu, Chen Minshan and Xiao Mingxin, kept their calm on the road to victory.
"We trust each other deeply and we were highly confident that we would stand on the podium," said Yan Zhiting. "There's no doubt that we're delighted and thrilled to win at home."
Being a traditional diving powerhouse, China clinched the two diving golds thanks to Huang Bowen and Liang Chaohui in the men's 3m synchronized springboard and teenagers Zhang Jiaqi and Zhang Minjie in the women's synchronized 10m platform.
"It's an honor to compete both at the World Aquatics Championships and the Chengdu Universiade," said Zhang Jiaqi, who, alongside Wang Feilong, won the mixed synchronized 10m platform at the World Aquatics Championships just two weeks ago in Fukuoka, Japan.
China's Zhang Jiaqi and Zhang Minjie in the women's synchronized 10m platform final at the World University Games in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, July 31, 2023. /CFP
"Although it's my first time competing against only one pair (as the event final featured only two teams), that's fine, as the judges will wait for us to prepare," added Zhang, the women's synchronized platform victor at the Tokyo Olympics.
The much-anticipated track and field event as well as swimming competitions will kick off on Day 4 of the Chengdu Universiade.