China capture mixed team gold at Diving World Cup in Guadalajara

China claimed the opening gold of the season in the mixed team event at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Friday.

China's Chen Yuxi, Chen Yiwen, Wang Zongyuan, and Cheng Zilong combined for a total of 489.10 points to top the podium. Italy finished second with 416.45 points, followed by Germany with 396.20.

"The mixed team event has always been a relatively relaxing one for us. We were in a good mindset and really enjoyed the competition," Chen Yiwen said afterwards.

Chen Yuxi, who performed two dives that she had struggled with the day before, added, "I'm quite satisfied with today's performance. I performed the same dives that I failed at yesterday, and I'm glad they turned out well this time."

Wang admitted he was not at his best. "I wasn't fully mentally prepared," he said. "Thankfully, my teammates stepped up and made up for the points. I fully trust them."

Making his debut in world-level competition, Cheng expressed both excitement and nervousness. "I tried my best to stay calm and believed in myself," he noted.

Earlier in the day, Chen Yiwen and Chen Jia advanced to the women's 3-meter springboard final as the top two in the preliminaries, while Cheng Zilong and Zhu Zifeng placed second and third, respectively, in the men's 10m platform preliminaries to secure spots in the final.

Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan will renew their rivalry in the women's 10m platform final on Saturday, alongside the other finals in the women's synchronized 3m springboard, men's synchronized 10m platform, and men's 3m springboard.