China dominates in diving; Americans medal

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LONDON, July 29 (UPI) -- He Zi and Wu Minxia began what is expected to be a Chinese dominance of diving at the Olympics Sunday by winning the three-meter synchronized gold medal.

Chinese divers won seven of the eight gold medals awarded at the Beijing Olympics and the first competition in the sport at these Games was not close.

He and Wu piled up 346.20 points and finished more than 20 points in front of Americans Kelci Bryant and Abigail Johnson.

The silver medal won by Bryant and Johnson, however, was the first in diving for the United States in 12 years. Once a power in the sport, the Americans had not won a diving medal since Laura Wilkinson was the winner on the 10-meter platform at the Sydney Olympics.

Jennifer Able and Emilie Heymans of Canada won the bronze, finishing five points behind the Americans.

Heymans became the first female diver in Olympic history to win a medal in four straight Olympics. She captured a silver medal in the individual platform event in Beijing along with a silver and bronze in synchronized platform at the two Olympics before that.

Wu, 26, is the most decorated of the powerful Chinese team.

This was her third straight Olympic gold in synchronized springboard and she has both a silver and bronze medal in individual springboard. She has won six world championships since 2001.

China won all eight diving events at this year's world championships and now has claimed 13 of the last 16 gold medals handed out at the Olympics.