6 29th Quan Hongchan In the competition, she and her teammate Bai Yuming won the mixed all-around gold medal. Photo / Xinhua News Agency
From winning the first World Championship gold medal in 1986 to achieving a hundred gold medals in 2022, the Chinese diving team, which has gone through 36 years of ups and downs, has firmly created the glory of the " dream team". From starting to speeding up, from reaching the peak to falling to the bottom, and then to defending honor again and again, the diving team's journey of winning 100 gold medals at the World Championships is a long picture of struggle.
"Queen of Diving" Gao Min won the first World Championship gold medal in China's diving history. Data map/IC photo
Start to speed up
Gao Min opens a gold medal account
According to the World Aquatics Championships event settings, the diving events in the first five competitions only have single events for men and women in the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform. The Chinese diving team did not participate in the first three World Championships. It was not until the 1982 World Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador, that it participated for the first time.
Although they did not win the gold medal in their first World Championships, the Chinese diving team, which was making its debut, brought surprises. The gold medals in the four individual events of this session were all won by the US team, but Zhou Jihong won the bronze medal in the women's 10-meter platform, and Peng Yuanchun won the third place in the women's 3-meter springboard. The Chinese diving team challenged the world's top players for the first time. impact.
Having experienced the atmosphere of the World Championships, the Chinese diving team began to shine at the 1986 World Championships in Madrid. Gao Min won the team's first gold medal in the World Championships in the women's 3-meter board, thus opening the Chinese diving team's World Championship gold medal account. Chen Lin and Lu Wei also made breakthroughs in the women's 10-meter platform, winning the championship and runner-up. The champions of the two men's platform events are still American players. Tan Liangde and Li Hongping won the second and third places in the men's 3-meter springboard, and Li Kongzheng won the runner-up in the men's 10-meter platform. At this time, no one can ignore the impact of the Chinese diving team - 7 of the 12 medals produced in the diving event at the World Championships were won by Chinese athletes.
The 6th Perth World Championships were held in 1991, and the women's 1-meter springboard became an official event. While the events have changed, the Chinese diving team, which has been working hard for five years, continues to make breakthroughs: "Queen of Diving" Gao Min showed strong dominance and won the women's 1-meter and 3-meter springboard gold medals; the fledgling Fu Mingxia won the women's 10 Champion of the meter platform, a year later, she shined at the Barcelona Olympics and became the youngest Olympic diving champion in history; Sun Shuwei stood on the highest podium of the men's 10-meter platform, winning the first world championship for the Chinese diving team Gold medal in the men's event. A total of 6 diving gold medals were awarded in this event, and the Chinese team won 4 of them.
In 1994, Saudin suddenly emerged as a new force at the World Championships in Rome, which prevented Sun Shuwei from completing the defense of the men's 10-meter platform event. But Yu Zhuocheng defeated Saudin in the men's 3-meter springboard final and won the first men's springboard gold medal in the World Championships for the Chinese diving team. The women's event is still dominated by the Chinese team, with none of the three gold medals missing.
Guo Jingjing is the athlete who has won the most gold medals at the World Championships in the history of Chinese diving. Data map/IC photo
suffered setbacks
Barcelona suffered a tragic defeat
When the outside world believed that the Chinese diving team was getting better, the Perth World Championships, which added double events, turned out to be Waterloo. The number of diving gold medals increased to 10. The Chinese team, which is in the transition from old to new, only won 3 of them (men's 1-meter springboard, men's doubles 3-meter springboard and men's doubles 3-meter platform), and failed to win any of the five women's events. After starting and accelerating, the Chinese diving team's progress slowed down in 1998.
After experiencing the trough of the Perth World Championships, the Chinese diving team achieved a full-scale explosion at the 2001 Fukuoka World Championships, winning 8 of the 10 gold medals in one fell swoop. Tian Liang and Guo Jingjing each won 2 gold medals, only the men's 3-meter springboard. and the women's 1-meter springboard failed to reach the top podium.
However, after the Fukuoka World Championships, the Chinese diving team faced more severe challenges. The 2003 World Championships in Barcelona and the 2005 Montreal World Championships showed a competitive situation. Facing strong opponents, the Chinese diving team only won 4 gold medals in Barcelona.Four of the men's Olympic events (men's 3-meter springboard, men's doubles 3-meter springboard, men's 10-meter platform, men's doubles 10-meter platform) all missed medals, and for the first time since the men's and women's 1-meter springboard was added to the 1991 World Championships, Chinese athletes failed to win medals. Able to stand on the women's 1-meter springboard podium.
The Barcelona World Championships is a pain in the growth stage of the Chinese diving team. Especially compared with the Fukuoka World Championships, the team lost "half of its gold medals". After a disastrous defeat, criticism from the outside world continued. People believed that reasons such as no longer pursuing difficulty, blind pursuit of stability and brain drain made it difficult for the Chinese diving team to achieve the glory of the "Dream Team".
Although the five gold medals at the World Championships in Montreal were more than the previous one, Canada's Despatie performed so strongly that the Chinese diving team failed to win gold medals in the men's 1-meter springboard and 3-meter springboard events for the first time since 1994. Guo Jingjing’s dominance in the 3-meter springboard is unshakable, but the women’s 10-meter platform still failed to regain lost ground.
Lian Junjie/ Yang Hao won the men's synchronized 10-meter platform championship at the 2022 World Swimming Championships. Photo / Xinhua News Agency
Re-emergence
Unrivaled in the past 7 World Championships
The Chinese diving team learned from the painful experience and staged the "Return of the King" at the 2007 Melbourne World Championships, winning 9 of the 10 diving gold medals in one fell swoop, only 10 for men. The Mitai championship was won by Russian player Galperin.
Since the Melbourne World Championships, the dominance of the Chinese diving team has gradually stabilized. At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, the "Dream Team" won 7 gold medals; at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, the Chinese diving team, playing at home, lived up to the expectations of the Chinese people and won 10 gold medals in the diving event at the World Championships for the first time.
will compete in the World Championships again, and the focus of the outside world on this ever-victorious team has changed from "how many gold medals can it win" to "whether it can win all gold medals." At the 2013 World Championships, the Chinese diving team returned to Barcelona and won 9 gold medals in the place where they had failed in the past. Only the men's doubles 10-meter platform championship fell by the wayside. In the following World Championships in Kazan and Budapest, the Chinese diving team won 10 gold medals and 8 gold medals respectively. However, while it was far ahead in the gold medal list, the "Dream Team" also had regrets - it failed to win a women's medal in two consecutive World Championships. The 10-meter platform champion, and lost the men's 10-meter platform and men's doubles 3-meter springboard gold medals at the World Championships in Budapest.
At the 2022 World Swimming Championships, Wang Zongyuan and Cao Yuan won the men's 3-meter springboard championship and runner-up. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Huansong
The 2019 Gwangju World Championships made up for the regret. Shi Tingmao continued to dominate the women's 3-meter springboard. Chen Yuxi, Zhang Jiaqi, Wang Zongyuan and other young players grew up at a gratifying rate. The Chinese diving team finally won 12 gold medals. , only the men's and women's mixed 3-meter springboard failed to win the championship.
After experiencing the test of the Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese diving team will compete in Budapest again in 2022. Although famous players such as Shi Tingmao have faded out, there are veterans such as Yang Jian and Cao Yuan, and rookies such as Wang Zongyuan and Chen Yuxi are improving day by day. There is also the blockbuster "future star" Quan Hongchan in the Olympics. The Chinese diving team has successfully achieved success. With the goal of 100 gold, we officially embarked on a new journey.
Beijing News reporter Zhou Xiao
editor Han Shuangming
proofreader Yang Xuli
