He Chong captured China's sixth gold medal in six Beijing Games diving events when he scored a monumental win on the three-metre springboard today. The home hero drew roars from the home crowd in the Water Cube with every dive as he brought China their fourth consecutive Olympic gold in the men's springboard, dominating the final with a fizzing set of high-scoring dives. He amassed 572.90 points from his six final dives to clinch the title which he had looked destined to win from round one when he reaped four perfect 10s for his forward 3½ somersaults.
He, World Cup winner this year, surged further ahead on each dive until he was more than 36 points clear at the end, bringing China closer to a unique sweep of eight diving titles, with two events to come. Eleven perfect 10s of 15 awarded fell his way. Canada's Alexandre Despatie, world champion in 2005, claimed his second successive Olympic springboard silver, diving with great consistency after a shaky preliminary round on Monday and compiling 536.65 points.
World champion Qin Kai, who won gold with Wang Feng in the synchronised springboard last Wednesday, took bronze with 530.10, chasing Despatie, whom he had beaten into second place at the 2007 world championships, all the way. Each earned one 10 score. He Chong, world bronze medallist in 2005, sealed victory in majestic style, the only man to top 100 points in this final with his concluding forward 2½ somersaults with three twists which netted 100.70.
Dmitry Sautin, Olympic platform champion back in 1996, kept the top three on their toes with a series of fine dives, earning two 10s for his penultimate dive and scoring 99.75 for his concluding reverse 2½ somersaults with 1½ twists. But he had to settle for fourth place on 512.65. The 34-year-old Russian won the first of three Olympic springboard bronze medals as an 18-year-old in 1992. He won silver with Yuri Kunakov in the Beijing synchronised springboard to take his record Olympic diving medal tally to two golds, two silvers and four bronzes. * Reuters