Chinese domination begins in diving

BEIJING, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia touched off what is expected to be Chinese domination of the Olympic diving events Sunday.

Guo and Wu won their second straight Olympic synchronized springboard gold medal, although their victory margin this time was less than it was in Athens.

They combined for a score of 343.50 with silver medal winners Julia Pakhalina and Anastasia Pozdnyakova of Russia piling up 323.61 points.

In Athens, the Chinese pair won by 36 points.

The bronze went to Ditte Kotzian and Heike Fischer of Germany. Americans Kelci Bryant and Ariel Rittenhouse finished fourth, only 4.5 points out of a medal position.

"We're just going to have to come back again and do it in the next four years," Rittenhouse said. "This was our first time. Next time we'll know what it's going to be like."

It was the third straight medal in the event for Pakhalina, who won the silver in Athens and the gold in Sydney with a different partner. This was only the third time synchronized springboard diving has been contested at the Olympics.