Wang Zongyuan, Wang Weiying excel in diving at 15th National Games

At the Guangdong Olympic Aquatic Center, Wang Zongyuan of Hubei captured the gold medal in the men's one-meter springboard event at the 15th National Games, scoring an impressive 492.30 points and solidifying his status as the nation's top male diver.

After being absent for three editions, the one-meter springboard returned to the National Games, with 17 athletes competing for the title. The field featured five world champions, including Wang's teammate Zheng Jiuyuan and veteran diver Tai Xiaohu from Shandong.

In the first three rounds, Wang and Zheng went head-to-head, with Zheng holding a narrow lead thanks to higher difficulty scores. However, Wang's experience proved decisive in the final rounds. His 107B dive earned 89.10 points, the highest single-dive score of the night, securing him a well-deserved victory—just one point shy of his world championship performance in 2022.

Meanwhile, Zheng Jiuyuan suffered a costly mistake on his 305B dive, which dropped him to third place. Tai Xiaohu's steady performance earned him the silver medal, marking his first individual medal at the National Games.

Fifteen athletes competed in the women's all-around diving final, a unique Chinese event designed to develop versatile divers. Each athlete performed five platform and five springboard dives, with the combined scores determining the overall ranking.

On the platform, backward and reverse dives proved the toughest challenges. Guangdong's 22-year-old Wang Weiying excelled, scoring 75 on her 305B and 64.35 on the 207C, finishing first with 363.45 points. Hunan's Qu Zhixin trailed by 15.55 points in second place, while world champion Zhang Minjie from Shanghai took third.

On the springboard, Wang maintained her lead with a flawless performance, ultimately winning the all-around title with 700.20 points and becoming the first double champion of this diving event.

The battle for silver saw Zhang narrowly overtake Qu by 3.75 points, demonstrating her experience.