China wins 6th gold in diving in Paris Olympics to stay on track for unprecedented sweep of all 8

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — China won its sixth gold medal in diving on Thursday at the Paris Olympics as it stays on track for an unprecedented sweep of all eight at the Games.

China has dominated diving for decades but never has taken all eight golds.

Xie Siyi took the gold on the 3-meter springboard and teammate Wang Zongyuan won silver, repeating their finish in the event three years ago in Tokyo. Osmar Olvera of Mexico took bronze.

Xie scored 543.60 points in six dives, Wang had 530.20 and OIvera finished with 500.40. American Carson Tyler was fourth with 429.25.

Olvera took silver earlier in the Olympics in men’s 3-meter synchronized while paired with Juan Celaya. Mexico has won 17 medals in diving, its highest total in any event.

China has won the men's 3-meter springboard in seven of the last eight Olympics. The only slipup came in the 2012 London Olympics when Ilya Zakharov of Russia won. Russian divers are absent this time because of the invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.

Including Thursday's results, China has won 53 of 70 gold medals in diving since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where it won its first. If you count from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it's won 33 of 38 gold medals in the discipline.

Diving wraps up with the women's 3-meter springboard on Friday and the men's 10-meter platform on Saturday.

Mexico came close to upsetting China in the men's 3-meter synchronized earlier when Olvera and Celaya took silver behind Long Daoyi and Wang Zongyuan. China won with 446.10 points to 444.03 for Mexico.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games