China’s diving twin stars Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi lived up to their reputations as they shone brightly at the women’s 10-meter platform competition at the World Championships in Doha on February 5.
Quan Hongchan clinched the gold medal with 436.25 points, claiming her first world championship title in the event. Meanwhile, her teammate Chen Yuxi took home the silver medal with 427.80 points. British player Sirier rounded out the top three with a bronze medal.
This victory marks Quan Hongchan’s third time participating in the World Championships, having previously secured runner-up honors. In contrast, Chen Yuxi, in her fourth appearance at the event, had previously won the single 10-meter platform championship in the first three times. At the 2019 Gwangju World Swimming Championships, Chen Yuxi, who was under 15 years old, won the championship in her debut. Since then, she has won all the women’s 10-meter platform events at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest and the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, achieving three consecutive World Championships.
In the preliminary rounds of this World Championships, Chen Yuxi once again showcased her dominance by ranking first with a gap of 35.90 points ahead of second-placed Quan Hongchan. However, in the finals, Quan Hongchan’s exceptional performance secured her the gold medal, with Chen Yuxi settling for silver with a difference of 8.45 points.
Following the event, Quan Hongchan expressed satisfaction with her performance, attributing her success to being more excited and better mobilized in the the final. Meanwhile, Chen Yuxi admitted to feeling unsatisfied with her performance and viewed the silver medal as an incentive to work harder in the future.
The dynamic performances of these two young athletes have solidified their status as China’s diving “twin stars” and have set the stage for an ongoing rivalry that is sure to capture the attention of the global diving community.