Team China triumph in diving, artistic swimming at Doha World Aquatics Championships

Team China triumphed in the diving and artistic swimming events during the ongoing World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar on Sunday.

China's Wang Zongyuan and Long Daoyi retained their world title in the men's 3m synchronized springboard event with a score of 442.41 points.

The Chinese duo outclassed the second-placed Italian pair, Giovanni Tocci and Lorenzo Marsaglia, by a substantial margin of 58.17 points.

In the second round of the event, Long had a noticeable mistake. The 20-year-old even shed tears during mix zone interviews, revealing the high standards they set for themselves.

"We aspire to match the achievements of legendary predecessors, but that mistake happened," Long stated.

"For us, it was an error. But I refrained from mentioning it during the break between rounds because I was concerned about affecting his mindset. Fortunately, he adjusted in the subsequent rounds," Wang recalled.

With this victory, Wang has now won his seventh world title. His next challenge looms at the Paris Olympics, where he aims to vie for the solo event's gold as well.

"For everyone, standing atop the podium in the individual event is the ultimate goal, and I am no exception," said Wang. "I believe in trusting the process, and solving issues in training. And it will yield positive results."

China triumphed in the artistic swimming team acrobatic, securing the gold medal with 244.1767 points.

The finals witnessed a nail-biting finish, with the top three teams closely contending for the title. Ukraine, trailing China by a mere 0.8600 points, secured the silver medal. The United States with a score of 242.2300 points took home the bronze.

Despite entering the finals sixth, the United States showcased an exceptional performance, adding intense pressure to their competitors. Led by the 45-year-old Bill May, the American team performed well to the cheers of the crowd.

"After the outstanding score by them, our team once fell silent. At that moment, I told them that the United States is not our rival, and we could reach our goal," revealed Chinese coach Zhang Xiaohuan.

This title marks China's second gold in the event since Fukuoka 2023. Coach Zhang particularly commended the performance of the twins, Wang Qianyi and Wang Liuyi.

"After only three months of cohesion following the Hangzhou Asian Games, they had to juggle additional collective training on top of their duet free performances. It was not easy," Zhang said.

In the mixed duet technical event, Kazakhstan's Nargiza Bolatova and Eduard Kim secured the gold medal with 228.0050 points.

China's Cheng Wentao and Shi Haoyu claimed the silver medal, while Miranda Barrera Jimenez and Diego Villalobos Carrillo of Mexico secured the third spot on the podium.

The ongoing 2024 World Aquatics Championships features 75 events in six sports that take place in Doha from February 2 to 18.

(With input from Xinhua)