|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Perfect ending Tian wins men's platform gold to cap China recordPosted: Saturday September 30, 2000 12:00 AMUpdated: Thursday November 09, 2000 12:11 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) -- Chinese divers increased the already large distance between them and the rest of the diving world, winning a fifth gold medal Saturday. Tian Liang outlasted teammate Hu Jia in a battle of perfect 10s to win the 10-meter platform with 724.53 points Saturday. Hu, a 17-year-old who was a late replacement for an injured teammate, took silver with 713.55. "Being an Olympic champion is every athlete's dream," Tian said. "To win the title is the sweetest." Tian's finish made China the first country to win more than four diving golds in a single Olympics. "We're very satisfied," said Chinese coach Zhang Ting, who wore a gold Mao badge on his jacket. "To get so many golds in an Olympics is quite hard." Defending champion Dmitry Sautin of Russia earned bronze with 679.26 -- his fourth medal in Sydney. American Mark Ruiz finished sixth, and teammate David Pichler was ninth -- three places lower than his 1996 platform finish.
"Honestly, I can say I'm a little depressed," Ruiz said. "I wanted to come in here and win a medal and compete with these guys." Tian and Hu had teamed for silver in the synchronized platform last Saturday for one of five silvers the Chinese also won. Tian was fourth on the platform in Atlanta. "It's not [an] accident what they've done," Sautin said. "It's the result of excellent preparation." China won three of four events at both Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta four years ago. "They were awesome," U.S. coach Jay Lerew said of the Chinese. "When they're on their game, they're unbelievable." The United States had its worst showing in 88 years, with Laura Wilkinson's surprise gold on the platform the only medal won. Excluding the 1980 Moscow boycott, the Americans hadn't won less than two at a time since 1912. "We got two people in just about every final. I think that's good," Lerew said. "It's very difficult just to make the finals anymore. I'm pleased with our team." Tian and Hu were seeded 1-2 after the semifinals, stunning the rest of the field with their consistent excellence. They were even better in the 12-man final. Hu overtook Tian for first place on his second dive, an inward 3 1/2 somersault tuck that earned two 10s from the seven judges. Hu was just getting warmed up. His backward 3 1/2 somersault tuck received six 10s, with only the French judge awarding a 9.5. Tian couldn't answer virtual perfection, and fell behind by 30 points. But perhaps Hu's youth and Olympic inexperience got to him on his fourth dive of the six-round final. He received no marks higher than 6.0 for an armstand back triple somersault tuck that left him trailing Tian by 19 points. Tian responded with one 10 on his backward 3 1/2 somersault pike and stayed in front the rest of the way. He picked up another 10 on his fifth dive, and Hu's perfection evaporated. Ruiz, a 21-year-old from Orlando, Fla., had 625.92 for sixth. He was last among 12 divers after the first round and moved to sixth in the fourth round. "There's still a lot of room to improve," said Ruiz, who's been tabbed as America's next great diver. "Next time, I'll be a veteran and I'll know exactly what to do. I shouldn't be upset; I did pretty well. But I am upset." Pichler, of Butler, Pa., finished with 616.17. He was as high as sixth after two rounds, then dropped to 10th before rallying on his final two dives. "It was very mediocre the whole way through," Pichler said. "My first dive was pretty good, but not great and I just started to struggle from there." Sautin's other medals were gold in the synchronized platform, silver in the synchronized 3-meter springboard and bronze in the 3-meter springboard. "Every time I see my Chinese colleagues, I see a certain consistency to their performance," said Sautin, a three-time Olympian. "I find it more and more difficult to compete with them." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
|
