Wang Zongyuan, Chen Yuxi clinch titles at Diving World Cup Super Final in Beijing

BEIJING -- Chinese Olympic champions Wang Zongyuan and Chen Yuxi crowned the first two individual champions with the head-to-head competition format making its debut at the "Water Cube" here Saturday.

In this new format, the top 12 athletes in individual events are seeded and paired according to their rankings. Each diver chooses three dives to perform, and the lower scorer in each pairing is eliminated. In the semifinals, the remaining six divers are divided into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the final.

Divers returned to their usual pace and dive order by performing six dives in the men's 3m springboard final. Wang, a two-time 3m springboard synchro champion and two-time silver medalist in individual events at the last two Olympic Games, won the gold with 519.25 points, edging teammate Zheng Jiuyuan into second place with 505.05 points.

Moritz Wesemann of Germany and Luis Felipe Uribe Bermudez of Colombia finished third and fourth with 430.45 and 418.20 points, respectively.

"The new format pushed us to enter our peak form from the very beginning and I started high in the first two sessions. In fact, I lost some energy in the final, especially in my 207C which only received 77.40," said 23-year-old Wang.

Zheng, 21, celebrated his first 500+point performance in the world level competition. "I have never reached 500+ in the competition before, I felt excited even right now. The new format gave me more uncertainty and pressure. I laughed at myself for my poor first dive 407C with 68 points in the morning," Zheng said after the awarding ceremony.

In the women's 10m platform final, top seed Chen Yuxi demonstrated consistency, finishing with 432.15 points from the heats and semifinals, while Quan Hongchan, who scored 57.75 points on her 207C, accumulated a total of 399.25 points heading into the last four.

With five stable dives in the final, Chen secured the win with 431.25 points, while Quan finished second with 409.80 due to minor mistakes in her 6243D and 207C. Alejandra Estudillo Torres of Mexico took the bronze with 332.70.

"I have never tried like this before as three big battles within two days from 10m synchro, mixed team and individual 10m event. I felt fainted at last. It is a huge challenge and a new lesson for me to deal with the new competition format, on the issues of how to relax and adjust myself into form in very short time," Chen said.

For Quan, earning a silver medal was the best reward for her discipline and perseverance amid growth pains. "The total time of individual competition was limited within one hour, including the head-to-head, semifinal and final. I felt out of energy a little bit because I could hardly climb up to the platform. A silver is good for me because I am still learning how to balance my growing height and weight," said the two-time women's 10m platform Olympic gold medalist.

China has swept all seven gold medals offered so far at the three-day Super Final. The competition will conclude on Sunday with the women's 3m springboard and men's 10m platform finals.