London 2012 diving: China takes gold, USA silver in 3-meter synchronized

London 2012 diving: Wu Minxia and He Zi won the first diving gold medal for China Sunday. Abby Johnston and Kelci Bryant of Team USA finished second.

By Beth Harris,?Associated Press / July 29, 2012

London 2012 diving: Gold medalists He Zi, left, and Wu Minxia, right, pose after the 3 Meter Synchronized diving at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Sunday, July 29, 2012. This is Wu's fifth Olympic medal.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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?Wu Minxia is close to crowning herself China's new diving queen.

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Wu and her partner He Zi won the first diving gold medal of the London Olympics on Sunday, putting the country on a path toward a possible sweep of the eight medals.

They led throughout the five-dive round and totaled 346.20 points in the 3-meter synchronized event.

"It's kind of if they mess up, then you have an opportunity," American silver medalist Abby Johnston said. "Anything can happen in this sport, so you still have that possibility."

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It was Wu's fifth Olympic medal, leaving her one away from tying countrywoman Guo Jingjing's record of six medals. Guo was China's superstar diver until her retirement 1 1/2 years ago.

Wu has three golds, one silver and one bronze. She could earn another in the individual springboard event, where she has medaled twice before and will compete against He.

"It feels normal," Wu said in Mandarin. "I really don't have that many emotions."

China won seven of eight golds as the host country four years ago in Beijing and swept the golds at last year's world championships in Shanghai.

"I am impressed by them," Johnston said. "I watch their video. That's one of my training methods, just watching them and how they do it."

Johnston and Kelci Bryant finished second with 321.90 points, ending the country's diving medal drought that extended to the 2000 Sydney Games. It was the first-ever Olympic synchro medal for the Americans.

"Our curse is out of the way," said Bryant, who finished fourth in springboard synchro with a different partner in Beijing.

"Abby and I just kicked it off with this event and I think the rest of the team is going to come through," she said. "After 2008, all of us were really close and we needed to fine-tune our training."

Laura Wilkinson's gold on 10-meter platform in Sydney, where she upset the Chinese despite a broken foot, was the last U.S. medal. The Americans were shut out for the first time ever four years later in Athens and again in Beijing.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/S69GHo6wGuc/London-2012-diving-China-takes-gold-USA-silver-in-3-meter-synchronized

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