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Saturday, September 30
China earns record fifth gold medal
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Chinese divers earned a record fifth
Olympic gold medal in Sydney, increasing the already large distance
between them and the rest of the diving world.
Tian Liang outlasted teammate Hu Jia in a battle of perfect 10s
to win the 10-meter platform with 724.53 points Saturday.
"Being an Olympic champion is every athlete's dream," Tian
said. "To win the title is the sweetest."
Hu, a 17-year-old who was a late replacement for an injured
teammate, took silver with 713.55.
Tian's finish made China the first country to win more than four
diving golds in a single Olympics.
"We're very satisfied," said Chinese coach Zhang Ting, who
wore a gold Mao badge on his jacket. "To get so many golds in an
Olympics is quite hard."
Defending champion Dmitry Sautin of Russia earned bronze with
679.26 -- his fourth medal in Sydney.
American Mark Ruiz finished sixth, and teammate David Pichler
was ninth -- three places lower than his 1996 platform finish.
"Honestly, I can say I'm a little depressed," Ruiz said. "I
wanted to come in here and win a medal and compete with these
guys."
Tian and Hu had teamed for silver in synchronized platform last
Saturday for one of five silvers the Chinese also piled up. Tian
was fourth on platform in Atlanta.
"It's not accident what they've done," Sautin said. "It's the
result of excellent preparation."
China won three of four events at both Barcelona in 1992 and
Atlanta four years ago.
"They were awesome," U.S. coach Jay Lerew said of the Chinese.
"When they're on their game, they're unbelievable."
The United States had its worst showing in 88 years, with Laura
Wilkinson's surprise gold on platform the only medal won. Excluding
the 1980 Moscow boycott, the Americans hadn't won less than two at
a time since 1912.
"We got two people in just about every final. I think that's
good," Lerew said. "It's very difficult just to make the finals
anymore. I'm pleased with our team."
Tian and Hu were seeded 1-2 after the semifinals, stunning the
rest of the field with their consistent excellence. They were even
better in the 12-man final.
Hu overtook Tian for first place on his second dive, an inward
3{ somersault tuck that earned two 10s from the seven judges.
Hu was just getting warmed up.
His backward 3{ somersault tuck received six 10s, with only the
French judge awarding a 9.5. Tian couldn't answer virtual
perfection, and fell behind by 30 points.
But perhaps Hu's youth and Olympic inexperience got to him on
his fourth dive of the six-round final. He received no marks higher
than 6.0 for an armstand back triple somersault tuck that left him
trailing Tian by 19 points.
Tian responded with one 10 on his backward 3{ somersault pike
and stayed in front the rest of the way. He picked up another 10 on
his fifth dive, while Hu's perfection evaporated.
Ruiz, a 21-year-old from Orlando, Fla., had 625.92 for sixth. He
was last among 12 divers after the first round and moved to sixth
in the fourth round.
"There's still a lot of room to improve," said Ruiz, who's
been tabbed as America's next great diver. "Next time, I'll be a
veteran and I'll know exactly what to do. I shouldn't be upset; I
did pretty well. But I am upset."
Pichler, of Butler, Pa., finished with 616.17. He was as high as
sixth after two rounds, then dropped to 10th before rallying on his
final two dives.
"It was very mediocre the whole way through," Pichler said.
"My first dive was pretty good, but not great and I just started
to struggle from there."
Sautin's other medals were gold in synchronized platform, silver
in synchronized 3-meter springboard and bronze in 3-meter
springboard.
"Every time I see my Chinese colleagues, I see a certain
consistency to their performance," said Sautin, a three-time
Olympian. "I find it more and more difficult to compete with
them."
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