FINA WJDC 2016: Chinese divers take more medals on closing day

The seventh day of the FINA World Junior Diving Championships began with the 3m springboard event. Yixian Liang of China collected 408.60 points and earned gold in the 3m springboard final (Group G Girls).

US diver Maria Coburn claimed silver with 398.35 points. Another Chinese diver, Xiaojie He, placed third (397).

In her post-final interview, the gold medallist admitted that it was a tough competition and she gave it all to win a medal. “I could have performed some dives better. Competition is a difficult period in the life of an athlete; it’s constant distress. You need to get in the right mindset and to get your thoughts together in order to win. Though not always you can do it,” Yixian Liang admitted.

Maria Coburn, who placed second, said that she will never forget the Kazan tournament. “It was a very successful tournament for me. I nailed all my dives,” the US diver said. “I will never forget Tatarstan, Russia and my new friends; it’s an incredible experience.”In March, Maria will compete at the US championships, meanwhile she will have some time to recover.

As was reported earlier, on the second competition day Maria Coburn won gold in the 1m springboard. Yixian Liang and Xiaojie He placed second and third respectively.

“I need to execute better dives in order to hope for a greater result. I’m glad that my teammate won gold; it’s a great achievement for our country but you always want to experience yourself what it feels like to stand atop the podium with a gold medal around your neck,” Xiaojie He said. “The championships have come to an end; we can have some rest now. The national championships will begin soon and we will need to show our best dives. Competition among athletes is huge in our country.”

Another Russian diver, Yuliana Klyueva, who also performed in the final, placed only second (355.55).