SATV 27 July 2025, Kathmandu: China kicked off its diving campaign at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships with a gold medal in the mixed team event on Saturday.
The mixed team event comprises four rounds, featuring dives from both the three-meter springboard and 10-meter platform. Each diver performs a designated dive 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, with Japan claiming the bronze medal.
"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," said Chen Yiwen. "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 had a rocky start in the opening round, when Chen Yiwen made a mistake during her 305B dive from the springboard, earning only 58.5 points. The uncharacteristic error dropped China from the top of the leaderboard.
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 China secure the top spot by the final round.
"Everyone did their best and fought hard for the team," said Chen Yuxi. "There might be areas where we can improve, but we all gave it everything we had."
For 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 the older teammates," he said, beaming with excitement.
Hours later, Australia's Maddison Keeney claimed gold in the women's one-meter springboard final. The 29-year-old had led the field after the preliminaries and carried her strong form into the final, securing the title with a total of 308.00 points. China's Li Yajie took silver with 290.25 points, while Chiara Pellacani of Italy claimed the 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 3m event, which is my main event," said Keeney. "I'll definitely keep going until [the] 2028 [Olympic Games], as long as I don't have any injuries or anything."
