China secure fifth diving gold

Tian Lang edged out his rival Hu Jia

Tian Liang gave an exhibition of supreme skill on the high diving board to give China their fifth diving title of the Olympics on Saturday.

Tian led 17-year-old Hu Jia in a one-two on the 10-metre platform which gave China their fifth gold and fifth silver in the eight diving events in the Homebush Bay pool.

Defending champion Dmitry Sautin, who had beaten Tian into second place in the 1998 world championships in Perth, could not match the Chinese pair and had to settle for the bronze as he did in Tuesday's three-metre springboard final won by their compatriot Xiong Ni.

Tian, fourth behind the Russian in the 1996 Olympic final, amassed an enormous 724.53 points from his four semifinal and six final dives.

Fu Mingxia won gold in the 3m platform event

Hu finished nearly 11 points back on 713.55, with Sautin a further 34 points adrift on 679.26 and Canadian Commonwealth champion Alexandre Despatie, at 15 the youngest finalist, fourth on 652.35.

Hu threw down his challenge to Tian with a superb back 3- somersaults and tuck in the third round of the final, which netted him six perfect 10s and a 9.5 from the seven judges and a tally for the dive of 99.00 points which hoisted him 30 points clear of Tian.

But he fatally threw away his advantage in the next round when his legs came over too far on his entry into the water from an armstand back triple somersault with tuck.

Tian, diving immediately after Hu, responded with an extraordinary effort which was to decide the Olympic title.

He pulled off a brilliant back 3- somersaults piked, carrying the highest degree of difficulty in the final of 3.6, which netted him an astonishing 101.52 points and put him nearly 20 points ahead of Hu.

"I was lagging behind by a large margin," Tian said.

"My coach said 'just relax and do your best'. I've been practising the dive for two years, so on my fourth dive I was trying to do my best with that dive, to focus to bring out the level of performance and do my best."

China's five diving wins came from Tian (men's platform), Xiong (men's three-metre springboard), Xiong and Xiao Hailiang (synchronised springboard), Li Na and Sang Xue (women's synchronised platform) and Fu Mingxia, who scooped a record-equalling fourth Olympic diving gold when she retained her three-metre springboard crown.