Awesome China on top of diving world again

SHANGHAI – Chen Ruolin and Wang Hao maintained China’s 100 percent record in the world championships’ diving events Monday as they topped the standings in the women’s 10m synchronized swimming.

Chen, seeking her third straight world title, and Wang compiled 335.34 points in yet another clinical display by the hosts, who have won every heat and gold medal so far as they chase an elusive sweep of the diving honors.

The Chinese duo left Australia’s Alexandra Croak and Melissa Wu, an Olympic silver-medallist, placed second with Christin Steuer and Nora Subschinski third ahead of the final later on Monday.

In the men’s 1m springboard, which also concludes at the open-air Crescent Lagoon arena on Monday, Li Shixin and He Min are favoured to land a Chinese one-two after topping the preliminary on Saturday.

China won seven out of eight titles at the Beijing Olympics and another seven from 10 at the 2009 worlds in Rome, raising hopes of claiming the first ever diving sweep despite the retirement of “diving queen” Guo Jingjing.

Diving, synchronised swimming and water polo are all under way at the 16-day, biennial championships, with the blue-ribbon swimming events kicking off on Sunday.