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Hu wins China's record sixth Olympic diving gold medal
2004-08-28
Liang Tian of China competes in the finals of the Men's 10 meter platform diving event at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2004. |
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ATHENS, Greece - Hu Jia overtook teammate Tian Liang on his next-to-last dive to win the 10-meter platform title Saturday, giving China a record sixth Olympic diving gold medal.Hu totaled 748.08 points to upset defending champion Tian in the last diving event of the Athens Games. Mathew Helm of Australia edged Tian for silver by 0.90 points, finishing with 730.56. Tian totaled 729.66. World champion Alexandre Despatie of Canada was fourth with 707.46. Hu got out of water and threw his arms in the air, realizing he had clinched the gold. The 21-year-old Hu earned platform silver behind Tian at the Sydney Games. China won six of eight diving events in Athens. Tian battled his teammate in the fifth round, earning three 10s for an inward tuck with 3 1-2 somersaults. But Hu was even better. He surged past Tian into first by earning four perfect 10.0s for a reverse tuck with 3 1-2 somersaults. Hu was even stronger on his last dive, a backward pike with 2 1-2 somersaults and 1 1-2 twists, that scored five 10s. Tian already won a gold medal in Athens on synchronized platform with partner Yang Jinghui. Helm was third for much of the competition and needed to hit his last dive to break up the Chinese juggernaut. The Aussie came up big, earning four 10s for a backward pike with 2 1-2 somersaults and 1 1-2 twists. Helm held up two fingers in disbelief, then buried his face in his hands. He teamed with Robert Newbery to win the bronze on synchronized platform. Four years ago, Helm was eighth on the tower. World champion Despatie dropped into fourth place after his fourth dive and stayed there. The shaggy-haired teenager overrotated on a backward pike with 3 1-2 somersaults - his second-most difficult dive of the competition. Despatie already earned silver in the 3-meter springboard. The judges were generous in awarding 10.0s, with all the top four divers getting multiple perfect marks - just as they did in the semifinals. The Chinese became a diving powerhouse after winning their first gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. They have now captured 19 of a possible 28 golds over the last five Olympics - and taken the silver in seven of the nine events they didn't win. ``Obviously, they train very, very hard. Their system is working very good for them,'' Despatie said. ``They have so many athletes, too. If someone isn't good, they just choose another one.'' The pool of talented divers doesn't show any signs of letting up in the world's most populous country - especially as China looks ahead to the Beijing Games in 2008. ``We might get someone good who comes along every 10 years,'' Despatie said. ``They get people with a lot of talent, and they get that every year.'' Despatie, 19, is likely to face the Chinese again in 2008. Hu seems a solid bet to return, but Tian, who turned 25 on Friday, may not. ``When I first got into the sport, the Chinese were like gods,'' Despatie said. ``No one could touch them. They were awesome.'' AP
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