Yang Hao of China waves at the podium after winning the gold medal end of the men's 10m platform diving final at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. - AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
DOHA (AFP): With six months to go until the Olympic Games, China ended the World Aquatics Championships diving events on Saturday with a ninth gold medal thanks to Yang Hao.
Yang, 26, claimed his first individual world title in the men's 10m platform with 564.05 points to pip compatriot and Olympic champion Cao Yuan, second on 553.20 points. Ukraine's Oleksii Sereda came third with 528.65.
Chinese athletes have claimed 13 diving medals in total in Qatar, to go along with seven golds in artistic swimming.
Before the 2022 worlds in Budapest, China had won only one gold medal in artistic swimming in the previous 18 editions of the world championships.
The country has since won four in Budapest and three in Fukuoka, Japan last year.
Sunday marks the beginning of the indoor swimming events during the final week of the championships. There are two more golds at stake in the high diving, which starts on Tuesday.
The Paris Olympics run from July 26 to August 11. - AFP
