Posted on 11.08.16

Britain drowns China's hopes of diving sweep in Rio

Britain's Jack Laugher and Chris Mears won an upset victory on the Olympic men's 3m synchronized springboard Wednesday to snuff China's quest for a golden sweep in Rio's strangely green diving pool.

The American duo of Sam Dorman and Mike Hixon took silver, while China's Cao Yuan and Qin Kai ended up with bronze. Cao and Qin, the reigning world champions, led through the first two rounds and China's diving powerhouse appeared poised to go four-for-four, halfway to a historic eight-medal sweep.

But a sub-par Chinese dive in the third round allowed Laugher and Mears to move into the lead. The Americans made a late charge, nailing a difficult front 4 1/2 somersault with tuck on their sixth and final dive.

It scored a 98.04, the highest-scored dive in the contest, and relegated the Chinese to third. But the Britons finished strong themselves to end with 454.32 points, eking out a close 4.11-point victory over the USA. The athletes competed for a second day in a pool that has turned an algae-like green colour, prompting concerns for the health of the divers.