China's diving team tests new pairings ahead of World Championships

BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- China's diving team held internal trials Saturday ahead of the upcoming World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, featuring significant lineup changes.

New partnerships will compete in key events, including women's 10m platform and women's 3m springboard. Chen Yuxi, who previously swept multiple Olympic and world titles in women's synchronised 10m platform with Quan Hongchan, will now partner with Zhang Minjie.

"I feel her individual dives are quite stable with good height off the board. She can guide me well," Zhang said.

"For the synchro event, each has her own style," Chen Yuxi noted. "The priority is aligning with each other. We need continuous refinement through teamwork."

Reflecting on her mindset post-2024 Olympics, Chen added: "The shift is substantial. After three years of intense competition last cycle, I'm starting from scratch this time to gradually regain competition rhythm. Mentally, I feel more stable and mature now."

In women's 3m springboard, Olympic champion Chen Yiwen pairs with newcomer Chen Jia, who has won two World Cup singles titles this season. "I'm looking forward to my first Worlds," Chen Jia said. Chen Yiwen aims to "regain her sense of purpose" at the event. Both will also contest the singles.

Veteran Cao Yuan, an Olympic gold medalist in three different diving disciplines, switches back to men's 3m springboard singles. "This switch demanded tremendous effort. I aim for breakthroughs and hope to execute details well," Cao said.

Wang Zongyuan teams with Zheng Jiuyuan in the men's synchronised 3m springboard. Wang, who will also compete in the singles, stated: "As a major post-Olympics meet, this championship will help identify areas for improvement. I'll focus on technique and adapt during competition."

The men's synchronised 10m platform features rookie duo Cheng Zilong and Zhu Zifeng. "We'll motivate each other to adjust mentally," Zhu said. Cheng added: "As new partners this cycle, we aim to follow in our predecessors' footsteps for national glory. This requires daily, step-by-step training progress. We'll keep learning from them." ■