Thaindian News

London, Aug 4 (IANS) China’s Olympic diving champion He Zi said she hopes to join hands with favourite Wu Minxia to sweep gold and silver in women’s 3m springboard final scheduled Sunday here at Olympics.

Both Wu and He, winners of the springboard synchro in London, led the semifinal Saturday and breezed into the final as the first and third qualifier, reports Xinhua.

He, runner-up to Wu at the 2011 Shanghai World Championships, said she was dissatisfied with her first, second and fifth dives at the semifinal, in which there were some flaws with the height and rhythm of her jumps.

“I think moderate stress would help athletes to tap their potentials during the Games. But I wasn’t nervous at all in today’s semifinal, so I have to improve my condition and try to find a best form for the final,” said He.

Four years ago, China’s diving queen Guo Jingjing and Wu swept gold and silver in springboard diving at Beijing Games. He said she hopes to pick up the baton and cooperate with Wu to repeat China’s springboard dominance in London.

The Chinese “Dream Team” of divers have swept all the synchro titles at London Games. They are half-way for an expected gold sweep though team manager Zhou Jihong warned “unprecedented challenges” from foreign competitors.

The Chinese squad, whose women especially have long enjoyed a stranglehold on the sport’s various disciplines, won five gold medals in 2000, six in 2004 and seven in 2008. They swept all gold medals on offer at last year’s Shanghai World Championships, hoping to go one better in London.