Photo: VCG

China finished the first leg of the 2024 World Aquatics Diving World Cup at the top of the medal table on Sunday after sweeping all nine gold medals up for grabs in Montreal, Canada.

On the final day of the event, with Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan completing a 1-2 finish in the women's 10m platform, China wrapped up the Montreal leg with nine gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

Chinese divers are now setting their sights on the second stop of the world cup, which will be held in Berlin, Germany, from March 21 to 24.

The two events act as qualifiers for the Diving World Cup Super Final, which is set to take place in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, from April 19 to 21.

A total of 18 individual divers, eight synchronized teams, and eight mixed team nations with the highest accumulated points in each category will secure qualification for the Super Final in Xi'an.

China fielded its strongest lineup for the Montreal event as the world cup, being the only international competition before the Paris Olympic Games, also serves as a golden opportunity to prepare for the Paris Games, where China will seek to grab all eight gold medals on offer.

Liu Yu, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times that Chinese divers continued their strong performance shown at the recently concluded Swimming World Championships. However, he also noted that Mexican athletes have exerted significant pressure on Chinese divers.

"China maintained their dominance in diving following the worlds but Mexican divers have shown great potential in recent events. They have mounted up stern challenges to Chinese divers in some events such as the men's 10m platform and 3m springboard. It's a catalyst for Chinese divers to do better during the next stop," Liu noted.

Wang Zongyuan, who is one of the favorites for the men's 3m springboard in Paris, secured his third gold at Montreal as he edged out Osmar Olvera Ibarra of Mexico to win in the 3m springboard final with a score of 549.50.

Meanwhile, Lian Junjie and Yang Hao teamed up to triumph in the men's 10m synchronized, with Mexico and Great Britain taking second and third places. 

In addition to the Diving World Cup, the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup will be held in Beijing from April 5 to 7, while the first leg of the Swimming World Cup will take place in Shanghai from October 18 to 20.