Georgian medalists bond like brothers

Georgian divers Tornike Onikashvili and Sandro Melikidze came out of the water after their last dive and group-hugged their coach as their final score appeared on the screen on Monday.

"The first thing that I said to my partner was, 'We made it'," said Onikashvili, a student-athlete from the Georgian University of Physical Education and Sport participating in the Chengdu FISU World University Games.

At the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard event held on Monday afternoon, the pair totaled 343.17 points for six dives, winning a bronze medal. China's Huang Bowen and Liang Chaohui bagged gold, and Germany's Lou Massenberg and Alexander Lube took silver.

"The Chinese team, they are always so great and No 1," Onikashvili said. "But we are so happy right now. It's amazing."

In synchronized diving, athletes are not only evaluated for their individual performance of flips and twists, but also the extent to which the two divers can simultaneously pull off movements in the air.

While it is not uncommon to hear diving pairs calling each other friends off the training grounds, Onikashvili said that he sees his partner as a brother.

"We started training together when I was 7," the 23-year-old said. "I don't see him as a teammate or a partner because he is my brother," he said. "We are very close and have not only competed together, but also share similar friend circles. We always enjoy each other's accompany."

During the games, Onikashvili also acted as an interpreter for Melikidze, who does not speak English.

Whenever Melikidze was posed an English question by reporters or at the news conference, he would smile in response and automatically cast a look at Onikashvili, seeking help.

At 27, Melikidze was the oldest diver at the competition held on Monday afternoon.

When asked about his secret to maintaining stability in his performance and his advice for teen divers, he said the most important thing is to strike a balance between maintaining sharp focus during training and relaxing outside of the pool.

"It is also important to try to have fun and not stress too much," he said through translation.

The Georgian pair was among the first athletes to visit and train at the Jianyang Cultural and Sports Center Natatorium — the venue on the outskirts of Chengdu that will host all diving events — on July 26.

It is one of the 13 newly built venues for the games and will be open to the public in the future.

"The venue is amazing, very large and bright," Onikashvili said. "And it is even more amazing that the Chinese spectators at the venue also cheered for us foreign players as well. We feel really great."