The Chinese diving team is a veritable dream team in world sports, and they have won gold medals in previous Olympic Games. At the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, the Chinese diving team won seven gold medals, and the only event they missed was the men's 10-meter platform pair. After entering the Paris Olympic cycle, the Chinese diving team continued to maintain the world's top level, and they basically "took a big package" in the three World Championships and the multi-stop diving World Cup, the World Cup finals, and the Asian Games. Although this team has also experienced changes in the lineup in the past three years, the team has withstood many tests in the process of completing the replacement of the old and the new, and is still the division of the king.
For the Chinese diving team, the only goal of the Paris Olympics is to win eight gold medals. However, the men's 10-meter platform single is the most suspenseful event, and the performance of Yang Hao and Cao Yuan will largely determine whether the Chinese diving team can realize their dream in Paris.
During the Tokyo Olympic cycle, the Chinese diving team had veterans in many events, such as Shi Tingmao and Wang Han in the women's three-meter board; Cao Yuan, Yang Jian, etc. in the men's 10-meter platform. They are not only experienced and powerful, but also can achieve the purpose of "bringing the old with the new".
Xie Sicheng, Wang Zongyuan
For example, the men's three-meter platform double is Xie Sicheng with newcomer Wang Zongyuan, and the women's 10-meter platform double is Zhang Jiaqi with Chen Yuxi. This combination ensures that newcomers who are making their Olympic debut are not too nervous and flustered, and that the final result meets the expectations of the competition. Although the Chinese team unfortunately lost the men's 10m platform double championship, they handed over a 7-gold medal report in Tokyo, which is also quite brilliant.
After entering the Paris Olympic cycle, many veterans faded out of the national team, including Yang Jian, Zhang Jiaqi, Shi Tingmao, Wang Han and others, the Chinese diving team is gradually replacing the old and the new, and the youngsters have become the mainstay of the team after several years of growth. Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan in the women's 10-meter platform have never let the championship fall aside as long as they have participated in the past three years. There are also some athletes who have been trained as reserve forces in the Tokyo Olympic cycle and have been pushed to the forefront, the most typical representatives are Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani in the women's three-meter springboard. Chen Yiwen said in an interview with a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily: "Originally, we should have been led forward by veterans in this Olympic cycle, but what we didn't expect was that we had to go up and become the main force of the project. This is a big challenge for me and Chang Yani. ”
Wang Zongyuan, Long Daoyi
Wang Zongyuan of the men's three-meter springboard has also become a leader in the event from a newcomer at the Tokyo Olympics. Wang Zongyuan competed in the men's three-meter springboard pairs and singles events in Tokyo, winning one gold and one silver. At that time, Wang Zongyuan was following his big brother Xie Siyi, after entering the Paris Olympic cycle, Wang Zongyuan's growth rate is very fast, and his current role is somewhat similar to that of Xie Sicheng, this time he will take the newcomer Long Daoyi to compete in the men's three-meter board double event. "I will continue to tell my new partner the experience that Xie Sicheng passed on to me before, as well as what I have summarized over the years, this is a kind of inheritance." Wang Zongyuan said.
Chen Yuxi, Quan Hongchan
The Chinese diving team has shown absolute dominance in many competitions in the past three years, such as the women's 10-meter platform double and single events, Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi won the championship with a cliff-like advantage every time they participated. They have always been the focus on and off the field, and the suspense of each game lies in who is more brilliant in the "fairy fight".
Chang Yani, Chen Yiwen
The women's three-meter springboard is also a very stable gold event, although the combination of Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani is not as huge as the 10-meter platform, but at least they can win the championship every time. In the single event, the two also formed a double insurance, among which Chen Yiwen won more championships, but she also missed, such as at this year's World Championships in Doha, she made mistakes one after another. But the Chinese team still has Chang Yani, and the championship can't run.
The situation in the men's three-meter springboard is similar, in the doubles event, although Wang Zongyuan's partner in this Olympic cycle has changed from Cao Yuan, to Zheng Jiuyuan, and now Long Daoyi, but what remains unchanged is that these combinations can win the championship. Wang Zongyuan and Long Daoyi, who participated in the Paris Olympics, have been paired together since last year, and the championship has been stable. In the singles event, Wang Zongyuan will compete alongside veteran Xie Sicheng, and the only threat to both of them is Mexico's Oliveira, who has been making a name for himself since last year's World Championships, with a six-jump movement that is very difficult and quality. However, as long as Wang Zongyuan and Xie Sicheng play normally, this championship will definitely belong to the Chinese team.
Yang Hao, Lian Junjie
The men's 10-meter platform has the greatest uncertainty. In the doubles event, Yang Hao and Lian Junjie partnered, both of whom participated in the Olympics for the first time. Comparatively speaking, Yang Hao has more experience in competitions. Yang Hao has been participating in the World Championships since 2015, but he unfortunately missed the Tokyo Olympics.
After entering the Paris Olympic cycle, Yang Hao began to pair with Lian Junjie in the men's 10-meter platform double event in 2022, and their performance and results were stable enough. But the Olympics are different from all the competitions before them, and it will be a big test for them.
The singles event is more variable, with veteran Cao Yuan competing in three Olympic Games in London, Rio and Tokyo, and has three Olympic champions: 10m platform singles, doubles and 3m springboard singles. This is also an unprecedented achievement for male athletes in the Chinese diving team. Cao Yuan underwent shoulder surgery in February last year, and it took him eight months to recover. Although the process was difficult, Cao Yuan relied on his unremitting efforts and the help of the scientific research, medical treatment, and recovery support teams to complete an impossible task in the eyes of the outside world. In the words of Zhou Jihong, director of the Swimming Sports Center of the General Administration of Sports of China, "It is a miracle that Cao Yuan can recover to his current appearance in such a short time after such a major operation." ”
Cao Yuan, who finished second in the men's 10m platform singles event at the World Championships in Doha in February, has been training behind closed doors to try to win another Olympic gold medal. At the same time, Yang Hao is also aiming for the gold medal in this event. After entering the Paris Olympic cycle, Yang Hao gradually stepped into the center of the stage in the single event as the "King of Difficulty" Yang Jian faded out of the national team after the 2022 World Championships. However, in the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, Yang Hao failed to reach the top, and in the 2023 World Championships, he lost to Australian star Russo. However, at this year's World Championships in Doha, Yang Hao finally stood on the top podium of the 10m platform singles, which undoubtedly added confidence to him to participate in the Paris Olympics.
Yang Hao's advantage is the high quality of the action completion, but his difficulty is not the highest. In fact, in the men's 10-meter platform singles, most foreign players are challenging this championship with difficulty, and once they have a super-level performance, they may snatch this gold medal. And this is what worries the Chinese diving team the most. Yang Hao and Cao Yuan can only use stable performances to ensure that the Chinese team achieves the goal of 8 golds.
Text/Beiqing Sports Song Xiang