15th FINA World Championships 2013: Clash of titans in Men’s 10m platform

LONCAT INDAH, 10m platform is diving's hottest event at the 15th FINA World Championships. Today the stands at Montjuïc Swimming Pool were full despite the high temperatures. The podium this time was the same as in Shanghai 2011: Qiu Bo (CHN) earned gold, David Boudia (USA) won the silver medal, and the bronze was awarded to Sascha Klein (GER), ratifying their current titles

The figures of the final show that Qiu Bo kept the lead throughout the competition obtaining the highest scores while Boudia and Klein were fighting to stay in 2nd and 3rd place each round. Qiu Bo marked a distance to Boudia with 63.60 points and 72.45 to Klein. 'Considering that I was not in my best shape before the Olympics, and also had many injuries after, I think that everyone could see that I have worked very hard. Today I got my reward', said the Chinese diver.

Bo's final score was 581.00, obtaining more than 90 points in five rounds out of six. Fifth round was the best one (110.70) after performing backward dive with four-and-a-half somersaults. Boudia was in the first position in the two first rounds but ended up winning the silver medal (517.40). 'It's been a hard year for me. After the gold in London 2012 and getting married, being back to competing has been tough. To me World Championships check how much I've worked, and which dives I need to improve".

The bronze made Klein keep on fighting until round 5, where he ranked third (508.55). 'It's been a difficult year to me too. I've been injured and it's been only a few months ago that I started training. I'm very happy with my workout and very proud with today's bronze'.

Mexico's Germán Sánchez and Iván García also fought for climbing up on the podium and getting a new bronze medal, but the level was too high and they could not make it. Sánchez, ranked fourth, finished only 2.2 points behind the bronze medal.

The British diver Thomas Daley, who made diving popular on an international level and is a specialist in the 10m platform, arrived injured to the 15th FINA World Championships. This meant that he only finished in sixth place with 470.60 points. "It has been one of the most painful experiences of my life. Despite the injury I wanted to compete but it has been frustrating not to be able to fight for the podium".

With this triumph Qiu Bo has become the second man to win a medal in three World Championships in the 10m platform, he achieved the silver in Rome 2009 and the gold in the following two championships. The first to achieve this feat was Greg Louganis (USA).

Even though David Boudia had reserved all his energies for this event, Sasha Klein collected his second gold in Barcelona 2013, after already having won the 10 m synchronised platform.

China and all of its divers have established themselves as the one to beat for the rest of the countries. They have only lost one of the ten events disputed and have achieved nine gold medals, three silver and two bronze. Wenjin Zhao, coach of the team, confessed that Barcelona 2013 "has been a really special place to compete but now it´s time to return home and continue competing on a national level".

Asked about the possibility of seeing them compete from 27m platform like in the high diving, the three medallists laugh and shake their head. They confirm "10 metres is already high enough" and although Boudia clarified that "in reality the jumps are the same as ours with a bit of variation of movement" he isn't going to dare try it.