China claims another Olympic diving medal

Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan, China's newest diving sensations, easily won the Olympic gold medal Monday in the synchronized platform event. Cao is 17 and Zhang is 18, but China does not send divers to world competitions unless they have the ability to win it all. It was the second victory in as many diving finals at the London Games for the Chinese, who are favorites to sweep the eight gold medals awarded as they did at the most recent world championships. China suffered only one loss in eight diving finals four years ago in Beijing. Cao and Zhang piled up 486.78 points while silver-medal winners Ivan Garcia Navarro and German Sanchez of Mexico finished with 468.90. The United States picked up a bronze medal in the event thanks to David Boudia and Nicholas McCrory, who earned 463.47 points. Thomas Daley and Peter Waterfield finished fourth and cost themselves a medal by botching their fourth dive out of six in the finals. They received an average score of 7.2, two points less than they would have hoped, on a reverse 3 1/2 somersault.