China's Xie Siyi on Thursday successfully defended his diving crown in men's 3m springboard at the Paris Olympics, with teammate Wang Zongyuan taking silver.

The result means the national team has now sealed six diving golds in its quest for a clean sweep in Paris, with just two more left to contest.

The two teammates went neck and neck from the start, with only several points separating them.

In his last of six dives, Xie finished with a 100.7 – the first of only two dives in the final that scored more than 100.

It ensured that he finished atop the podium again in Paris, having done the same in Tokyo.

Wang, for his part, made a mistake in the second to last dive, meaning he finished the competition with 530.2 points, 13.4 less than his compatriot.

Xie, who came out of a brief retirement to compete in Paris, said he was nervous during the first two rounds of the final, when he was trailing Wang.

"In the third round, I told myself: I need to slow down. There are so many spectators today – in the previous round there weren't that many," he told reporters from Hong Kong.

"So with so many people around suddenly, I needed to enjoy the atmosphere, the cheers. They may be for other teams, but I took them as though they were for me."

Mexico's Osmar Olvera Ibarra grabbed bronze with just a little over 500 points.
_____________________________
Last updated: 2024-09-08 HKT 00:57