China finishes 1-2 in women’s 10-meter diving

Hu Yadan overcame her mistake to earn five perfect 10s on her final dive and claim the silver with 394.00.

“It is Hu Yadan’s first world championships, therefore it’s natural she got a little bit nervous,’’ said Chen, who lost to Hu at a World Cup meet. “We all have room to grow and it will be very good practice for her.’’

Defending champion Paola Espinosa of Mexico took the bronze with 377.15.

“Since the last world championships to this one, the Chinese athletes have already improved a lot in their skills, as well as their degree of difficulty, so it was definitely not an easy competition for me,’’ Espinosa said.

Hu overtook Chen for the lead in the third round, with an armstand back double somersault with 1 ½ twists that earned two 10s. Hu moved ahead by 9.1 points.

But the 15-year-old Hu botched the entry on her next dive, with her legs smacking the water on a backward 3 ½ somersault that drew gasps from the fans on a sweltering afternoon with smog and haze obscuring the sun at the outdoor pool. It was the hardest dive of the competition.

“I was kind of nervous after the third dive,’’ Hu said. “On the fourth dive, I wanted to do really well but I missed it. After that, I felt like I had nothing to lose, that’s why I tried everything I could to make the last dive.’’

The mistake dropped Hu from first to third going into the last round, with Chen leading and Canadian Meaghan Benfeito second.

“You always hope for an opening but they know how to finish well, they know how to do their dives properly,’’ Benfeito said. “It’s not because of one complete miss that they’re going to lose.’’

Both Chinese did the same last dive, a backward 2 ½ somersault with 1 ½ twists.

Hu received encouraging applause as her tiny figure appeared on the tower to finish the event. She responded with a dive that barely created a splash, earning the five 10s and two 9.5s.

Chen’s marks ranged from 7.5 to 8.5, but she had a 25-point lead over Benfeito after four dives that easily won her the gold.