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China's He Zi wins women's 1m springboard world title
2007-03-24
He Zi handed China its fifth diving gold medal of the world championships Friday by ending the reign of defending 1m springboard champion Blythe Hartley of Canada who finished second. It was He's first major title after bursting onto the scene at the Asian Games in December when she won a silver in the same event. Hartley, or "Muppet" as she is known in diving circles, had a narrow lead after the opening three dives before He took the initiative with a superb fourth dive that left her grinning. The 16-year-old almost gave it away with her last dive, a one-and-a-half somersault and one-and-a-half twist, as nerves took hold but it was good enough to land her the title with 316.65 points. Hartley, who also won the event at the 2001 world championships in Japan, settled for silver with 311.20 points. Russia's Yulia Pakhalina was third with 304.60 points. China has now won all five diving gold medals here, matching its total from the last world championships two years ago, with five more medals still to be decided.
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