China opened their diving campaign at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore by claiming gold in the mixed team final on Saturday.

The mixed team event consists of four rounds, featuring attempts from both the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform, with team members performing designated dives in a fixed order.

The quartet of Chen Yiwen, Chen Yuxi, Cao Yuan, and Cheng Zilong delivered a composed performance to score 466.25 points, finishing 39.95 points ahead of second-placed Mexico. Japan rounded out the podium in third.

"This was the first time for all four of us to compete in the mixed team event at a World Championships, so we're especially happy," Chen Yiwen said. "Since the springboard team didn't perform well, it ended up putting a bit of pressure on the platform side, but they did really well and helped turn things around."

China endured a rocky start in the opening round, when Chen Yiwen made a costly mistake during her 305B dive from the springboard, earning just 58.50 points. The uncharacteristic error dropped the team from the top of the standings.

Despite a less-than-ideal showing on the springboard, China rebounded strongly in the platform rounds. Chen Yuxi and newcomer Cheng impressed with confident performances, helping their squad reclaim the top spot well before the final round.

"Everyone did their best and fought hard for the team," Chen Yuxi said. "There might be areas where we can improve, but we all gave it everything we had."

For the 17-year-old Cheng, the victory was especially memorable, as it marked his debut appearance at a World Championships.

"It's an incredible feeling to win gold with these older teammates," he said, beaming with excitement.

Hours later, Australia's Maddison Keeney claimed gold in the women's 1-meter springboard final. The 29-year-old, who led the field after the preliminaries and carried her strong form into the final, clinched the title with a total of 308.00 points. China's Li Yajie took silver with 290.25 points. Chiara Pellacani of Italy finished with bronze.

"It's really good practice for me to go out and compete with that external expectation of everyone else thinking that I can do it. It's also really good practice for my 3-meter event, which is my main event," Keeney said. "I'll definitely keep going until the 2028 Olympic Games, as long as I don't have any injuries or anything."